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30 of the most hardworking footballers playing all over Europe are shortlisted every single year, as they compete for the biggest individual prize in football history. The Ballon d'Or, or most famously known as the 'Golden Ball'.
After an unbelievable display of world-class performance delivered by Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric, it seems like the little man could be on his way to break the 10-year battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The likes of Harry Kane, Isco, Ivan Rakitic, and Kylian Mbappe have already made their place in the nominations, but there have been some names who have been excluded. Well, this happens every year, but these names have been absolutely surprising.
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Let us take a look at the 5 players who are surprisingly missing from the list.
#5 Philippe Coutinho - Barcelona
It is no surprise that Coutinho was excluded from the list, as his move to Barcelona in the last season was an extremely controversial one. He was able to win a double with La Blaugrana but didn't start in most of their games, as he was cup-tied in the case of UEFA Champions League. His performance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup with his national side was great and again filled with a lot of emotion, as Brazil were knocked off in the quarterfinals of the competition.
Had it been that Coutinho would've stayed at Liverpool, his chances of winning a nomination would have been extremely high, as he is easily one of the best playmakers in the world, and could have helped the Liverpool side win the Champions League title. Coutinho's current performance with Barcelona can really boost his chances for next year.
All stats via Transfermarkt
#4 Toni Kroos - Real Madrid
Real Madrid has given 8 players in the nominations this year, but it was more than just surprising for one of the best midfielders in the world to be missing out in the Ballon d'Or list, as his performance with Real Madrid last season was extremely exceptional.
His passes and playmaking abilities combined with the likes of Casemiro and Luka Modric took his team to a 3rd straight title of the UEFA Champions League. The fact that he featured in almost every single game of Los Blancos last season is something to take note of.
However, it looks like the core reason for Kroos missing out from the list is surely his performance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where Germany was eliminated in the group stages. Many were surprised to see him excluded, but the stats are more than just valid.
#3 David Silva - Manchester City
Silva was one of the main reasons why City was able to grab their Premier League title in last season, their third title in eight years. Silva's position as a midfielder has surely helped him evolve as he has become one of the most consistent players in the Premier League. Him not being included in the Ballon d'Or list is surely a surprise for everyone, as his skills are extremely exceptional.
Silva played in the World Cup and helped to take the Spanish national side all the way to the knockout stages, where they had the chance to win the tournament, but they couldn't achieve the feat as their play style was criticised by many.
While Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne are the only two players from Pep Guardiola's side, Silva surely deserved a spot as without him, Manchester City wouldn't have scored 100+ points and win the league.
#2 Ciro Immobile - Lazio
While Immobile is a player who is slowly fading away from the memories of most football fans, but he has achieved a feat that few players in Serie A were able to achieve. For the first time in his career, he reached the 40-goal mark in a season. He scored 41 goals in 47 matches for Lazio.
He ended the Serie A campaign with 29 goals, tying with Mauro Icardi. Lazio finished 5th last season, scoring a total of 89 goals, a club record.
Immobile has set a bold statement, that he too can score in the rankings of some of the most skilled football players in the world. His exclusion from the Ballon d'Or list is surely a surprise for most of the football fans, as he can now be seen as a resurrecting player.
#1 Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich
Lewandowski was the Bundesliga top scorer in the 2017/18 season and missed only 4 games in the 34 game season. The Polish captain was the top scorer with 29 goals ahead of Nils Petersen who scored a total of 15 goals in 32 appearances. It is only a surprise that he wasn't included in the list, as he has been a frequent inclusion in the past few years.
Most sports analysts say that Lewandowski's performance in the Bundesliga is completely one-sided, as there was no tough fight given by any of the teams in the league. His performance in the World Cup was nothing that the Polish International can be proud of.
In addition, his current performance with Bayern Munich isn't something great as well, as he has scored only 5 goals this season and Bayern ranks second behind Lewandowski's former club Borussia Dortmund.
