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The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual trophy that every footballer aims to win in his lifetime, but only the supreme players have the chance to be even considered for this accolade.
Since 2008, arguably the two greatest players of all time - Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo have shared the trophy equally by winning 5 times each. This past decade they have produced magnificent results for their club and country, but it seems their dominance in the world of football is slowly reducing. As in this world cup, they couldn't lead their respective nations to the glory their fans were hoping.
So, let's discuss the favourite to win the accolade this year:
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#3 Mohamed Salah
Last year Liverpool took a gamble by signing the Egyptian forward, Mohammed Salah as his first stint at the premier league was an utter disappointment back in 2014 when he signed for Chelsea.
Liverpool's gamble paid off as he not only scored a record 32 goals in 38 games for the Reds but also formed a spectacular trio with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, scoring 11 goals in 15 appearances to carry Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League final first time since 2005. Some people believe if he was not injured Liverpool might have won the final.
One of the highlights of his career from last year is when he single-handedly carried his national squad to the big stage after a gap of 28 years. Though in the world cup Salah was not 100% fit so we got to see only the shadow of his true self and as a result, Egypt couldn't even make it through the group stages.
A detailed view of his performances last year :
Liverpool (UEFA CL + Premier League):
Matches Played: 51
Goals Scored: 43
Egypt (WC qualifiers + WC 2018):
Matches Played: 07
Goals Scored: 07
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo has rivalled Lionel Messi in every aspect of the game both on and off the field. For a decade they have competed for the title of the Ballon d'Or. Cristiano Ronaldo was the ace of Real Madrid for 9 years, but in this transfer window, he opted for a transfer to Turin. In the 2017-18 season, he finished the La Liga golden boot race with 26 goals in 26 appearances.
The hopes were high from Ronaldo to carry the Portuguese team on his back. He started with a bang as he scored a hat trick in the first game of his country which was against the 2010 winners Spain. But as the tournament progressed maybe the burden was too much even for Ronaldo, Portugal was defeated by Uruguay in the round of 16.
There is no doubt that when it comes to UEFA Champions League Ronaldo is a beast before he left for Juventus he managed to win his third consecutive trophy and 5th overall. He scored 15 goals in 13 matches for which he recently won the UEFA best forward of the year, though many fans believed he was snubbed of his third consecutive UEFA player of the year award which was awarded to his ex-teammate Luka Modric.
A detailed view of his performances last year :
Real Madrid (UEFA CL + La Liga):
Matches Played: 40
Goals Scored: 41
Portugal (WC qualifiers + WC 2018):
Matches Played: 13
Goals Scored: 19
#1 Luka Modric
From being tagged as the worst transfer ever to winning the FIFA golden ball, what journey it has been for Luka Modric. Modric has been an elemental piece in the success of Real Madrid in recent years. He is an excellent passer of the ball and a quality shooter from outside the box. Though last year Real couldn't win the league against their bitter rivals, FC Barcelona they still managed to thrash them in the Supercopa de Espana registering a 5-1 win on aggregate.
Including his 2017-18 UEFA Champions League trophy his total tally sums up to 4. Last week Modric won the UEFA player of the year trophy and UEFA best midfielder award. If he wins the 2018 Ballon d'Or trophy, it won't surprise many people as he carried his national side to the finals of the World Cup and was named as the FIFA Golden Ball winner.
So, who do you will win this year's edition of Fifa Ballon d'Or? I personally think Luka Modric is a step ahead in the race for the trophy due to his heroics for the Croatian national team.
A detailed view of his performances last year :
Real Madrid (UEFA CL + La Liga):
Matches Played: 37
Goals Scored: 2
Croatia (WC qualifiers + WC 2018):
Matches Played: 17
Goals Scored: 3
