Ballon d'Or 2018: 5 Players who deserved to be ranked higher in the list

#4 Ivan Rakitic

Rakitic has been the model of consistency for the past year

The Croatian midfielder was ranked joint 19th in the rankings, but his performances in the past year or so deserve better. He was an integral part of the Barcelona side who cantered to the domestic double, losing just one league game in the process.

Then he reached the World Cup final with his nation, meshing well with Luka Modric to ensure that the underdogs had a tournament for the ages. His ice-cool temperament was especially highlighted when he scored the decisive penalties in shootouts against Denmark and Russia.

Rakitic's playmaking was vital to both Croatia and Barcelona, as both are sides who like to dominate possession. The likes of Paul Pogba and Karim Benzema surely had relatively inferior campaigns, and they are failing to impress in the current season as well. The Croat should have definitely deserved a higher rank.