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4) Luka Modric winning the Ballon d'Or
Luka Modric, the heart of Real Madrid's midfield and the captain of the Croatian team that cruised to the final of the FIFA World Cup, won the Ballon d'Or award in 2018. By doing so, Modric broke the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly and became the new entrant into the list of illustrious footballers.
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Ever since Kaka won the award in 2007, Messi and Ronaldo had won the prestigious accolade five times each. The trophy remained in the possession of arguably the two best players in the history of football for the next ten years.
Modric deservedly won the award because of his services to his club and to his nation. Cristiano Ronaldo came second and the World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann was adjudged third. Youngster Kylian Mbappe finished fourth ahead of Lionel Messi, who was placed at the fifth position.
