World Cup 2018: 4 prime candidates for the Golden Ball award after the Round of 16

The 2018 FIFA World Cup has been quite interesting from the rest of the World Cups. With defending champions Germany out in the group stage and Spain knocked in the Round of 16 by Russia, this World Cup is now referred to the World Cup of the underdogs.

Remarkably, 3 matches in the Round of 16 have gone to extra time and have been decided by the penalty shootouts in which the goalkeepers of the winning teams have become heroes.

The quarter-finals are also most likely to be unpredictable and hence the surprises of the 2018 FIFA World Cup may not be over yet. The Golden ball is given to the best player of the tournament by FIFA, with a shortlist drawn by its technical committee and the winner is voted by the representatives of media.

It has been won by legends like Pele, Garrincha, Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona and Bobby Charlton in the past. Lionel Messi was the Golden Ball winner at the 2014 FIFA World Cup when he led Argentina to the World Cup finals with his scintillating performances.

With Messi and Ronaldo out of the tournament, the contest is now wide open for any player to seize their chance of lifting the Golden Ball at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Let us have a look at 4 players who are now possible candidates for the Golden Ball after the Round of 16.

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#4 Luka Modric

Luka Modric has been phenomenal in the midfield for Croatia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Being the captain of the Croatian side, he has led from the front by leading Croatia to the quarterfinals of the World Cup.

Having scored 2 goals from 4 matches, Modric received the Man of the Match awards for his superb performances in Croatia's group stage victories over Nigeria and Argentina. He leads the dominating Croatian midfield which humiliated Argentina 3-0 in their 2nd group game.

Having completed 205 successful passes, attempting 59.2 passes per game and maintaining a passing accuracy of 75.4 in opposition's half, Modric is the most deserving midfielder to win the Golden Ball at the World Cup.

#3 Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard has been a critical player for Belgium in their unbeaten winning run at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He played a part in each and every game for Belgium and hence has proved his legitimacy to wear the captain's armband.

Against Japan in the Round of 16, when his team were trailing 0-2 and were in danger of getting knocked out, Hazard stepped up and was conducive in Belgium's impressive 3-2 comeback.

Having scored 2 goals and provided 2 assists in 3 games, Hazard received Man of the Match awards for his wonderful performances against Panama and Tunisia. He has 2 goals from 5 shots on target at a conversion rate of 22% and played 11 key passes (including assists) for Belgium.

From the above stats and performances, Hazard will be among the top names on the list for the Golden Ball award.

#2 Neymar

Neymar, like Brazil, has had a roller-coaster ride at the World Cup. Having been outmuscled and performed below expectations against Switzerland, he bounced back with influential performances for Brazil in their last two group games against Costa Rica and Switzerland.

He was remarkable against Mexico in the Round of 16 having scored like a renowned poacher and played the penultimate part in Firmino's goal to seal a 2-0 victory for Brazil.

Having scored 2 goals and provided 1 assist in 4 games, Neymar, after the exit of Messi and Ronaldo has the opportunity to keep the spotlight on himself in the quarterfinals. He has completed 168 successful passes and on an average plays 49.3 passes per game. Having scored 2 goals from 12 shots on target, Neymar will look to improve this stat against Belgium.

He will certainly be one of the frontrunners for the Golden Ball award at the end of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

#1 Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe has been one of the finest young talents at the World Cup. Having scored his first World Cup goal against Peru in the group stage, he carried his form into the Round of 16 by simply ravaging the Argentinian defence with his outstanding pace and also scored 2 crucial goals in that match to seal a berth for France in the quarterfinals. In this process, he became the second youngest player after Pele to score 2 goals in a World Cup match.

Having scored 3 goals from 4 matches, he has scored 3 goals from 5 shots on target at a goal conversion rate of 60%. Despite having tremendous pace at his disposal, Mbappe has shown his poaching skills at the 2018 FIFA World Cup with all 3 goals scored by him inside the box.

Having such talented players in their side make France a formidable opponent to beat. Mbappe, with his brilliant performance, has made himself a top contender for the Golden Ball award.

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Who do you think will win the Golden Ball in the 2018 FIFA World Cup? Tell us in the comments below!