4 Things that aided Luka Modric's Ballon d'Or triumph

#1 People wanted a change

People wanted another superstar other than Messi and Ronaldo to lift the Ballon d'Or

Luka Modric has been crowned the Ballon d'Or winner for 2018 but the debate of whether he truly deserves to beat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the accolade will surely go on for some time.

Although the Croatian had a fantastic year, performing well in both the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA World Cup, the aforementioned superstars also had great performances and achievements during the year that could have won them the Ballon d'Or.

Lionel Messi finished as the top scorer in both the La Liga and across Europe's top 5 leagues last season and he also helped Barcelona to claim a fantastic domestic double while Cristiano Ronaldo was the standout player in the UEFA Champions League, leading Real Madrid to claim their third consecutive European triumph and finishing as the top scorer of the tournament for the sixth consecutive season - not to mention that both superstars scored over 40 goals each for their respective clubs during the term.

With great respect, Luka Modric actually deserves to win the Ballon d'Or award for his incredible performances and achievements this year. But if you remember what happened with the likes of Xavi and Iniesta in 2010, Frank Ribery in 2013 as well as Manuel Neuer in 2014, you will realize that the fact that people wanted a new hand to lift the Ballon d'Or award also played a part in Luka Modric's success this year.