Ballon d'Or 2018: Uncertainty prevails with the stats and the rumours pointing in opposite directions

Reports in the football world indicate an end to the 10-year-long dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the Ballon d'Or award. According to the rumours, Luka Modrić, the Croatian midfielder, is going to be the winner this time around.

But thinking from an objective viewpoint, it is difficult to even predict the top three nominees for the award; thinking of a clear winner isn't possible at all!

Ronaldo, Modrić, Raphael Varane and Kylian Mbappé all had an outstanding 2017-18 season, and hence leaving out any one of them from the top three nominees isn't easy at all. If it has to be decided on the basis of trophies, Varane could be the winner, as he won the Champions League as well as the World Cup in 2018.

But when it comes to the Ballon d'Or, trophies alone can't guarantee the award. You have to win trophies as well as play a crucial role in all competitions to win the coveted prize.

Ronaldo, Modrić, Varane and Mbappé have an average rating of 7.93, 7.26, 7.02 and 7.67 respectively in all competitions. Ronaldo has bagged 12 Man of the Match awards, while Mbappé is the only one close with 9. As far as Modrić and Varane are concerned, the Madrid duo lag far behind with one award each.

Either Ronaldo or Mbappé is the top candidate according to the statistics. The only reason they could be denied the Ballon d'Or this year is that both have just one major trophy in their cabinets.

Croatia, despite being the underdogs, reached the final of the World Cup, and Modrić won the Golden Ball award for playing a key role in their dream run. That gained him a lot of support in his quest for the Ballon d'Or. The Madrid midfielder also lifted the Champions League trophy alongside Ronaldo and Varane this year.

As far as Mbappé is concerned, the emerging French forward has played the least number of games in comparison to the other three. While the forward has won a World Cup in his debut attempt at the biggest stage of them all, he hasn't yet earned his spot at the top of the chart and still has a long way to go.

When it comes to CR7, he is still one of the biggest names in world football. The 33-year-old Portuguese forward had an outstanding 2017-18 season for both club and country. He topped the goal-scoring charts in the Champions League and was the runner-up in the LaLiga. Statistics support the former Madrid man to lift the Ballon d'Or yet again.

So whoever wins the Ballon d'Or this year, questions will be asked because there is neck-to-neck comparison between the top candidates; each of them is deserving in their own right.

Now the only thing to ponder is this: who will the race - the man with the stats behind him, or the man with the rumours?