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The FIFA World Cup was just so good that it has made a huge impact on the Ballon d'Or Power Rankings. There have been massive changes in the top 10 with some fresh faces coming in and a couple of favorites dropping way down!
We are now just 4-5 months away from the Gala and things are heating up. The usual favorites, Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi, might not even make the podium if the others continue performing the way they are.
Will the duopoly finally end this year or will one of them shine brighter than the others in the next few months and take it home once again? Without further ado, here are the top 10 players who are favorites to win the Ballon d'Or as of August 1st:
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#11 Raphael Varane
Defenders are not really recognized these days. When is the last time you actually saw a defender winning the best player of the tournament or even the player of the year award at his club?
If a World Cup and a Champions League medal at the end of the season isn't enough to earn Varane a place in the Ballon d'Or Power Ranking, nothing ever will. He has been the best defender for his club and country this year and has hardly put a foot wrong.
Varane will not be a part of the revolution at Real Madrid as well and is likely to be the main man in the defence under Julen Lopetegui. Sergio Ramos is 32-years-old and Los Blancos will be looking to sign a long-term replacement who can partner Varane in the defence soon.
#10 Edinson Cavani
Edinson Cavani finished his season with Paris Saint-Germain with 31 goals. He scored 28 in Ligue 1 ended up with the golden boot and carried that form was into the World Cup as well.
He scored 3 goals in 4 games for Uruguay and was their main striker this year. He was linking up brilliantly with Luis Suarez and was spearheading their attack. An injury setback ended his World Cup early and his country was eliminated in the next game!
He is expected to be fully fit for the start of the Ligue 1 2018/19 season. With Neymar and Kylian Mbappe on his sides, he will be itching to get back on the pitch and score goals yet again.
Despite having a good World Cup, his ranking has not changed from last month.
#9 Kevin de Bruyne
3rd place in the World Cup, a Premier League medal and a League Cup medal rightfully sees De Bruyne on the list for the Ballon d'Or. The Belgian was vital for his club and country this year and was running the show in all the important games.
Despite all that, he still remains at the #8 slot and will be hoping to improve his ranking when the 2018/19 season begins. He's a key part of Guardiola's plans and will be keen on getting on the pitch to help Manchester City retain their title.
He finished with 11 goals and 18 assists for club and country last season and will be looking to improve on that.
#8 Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard's future at Chelsea is still not clear but his position in Ballon d'Or Power Ranking is: #7. And this is a huge rise for the Belgian who was not even in the Top 10 last month!
He was Belgium's best player at the World Cup and was in the running for the Golden Ball but was edged out by Luka Modric in the end. Hazard was clearly Chelsea's best player as well last season despite playing out of position in many games.
He's reportedly looking for a move to Real Madrid this summer but things do not look good right now. He is expected to stay at Chelsea and with Maurizio Sarri & Gianfranco Zola at the helm, he'll only continue to improve.
#7 Harry Kane
Harry Kane was not able to do anything for England in the knockout stages or in the game vs Belgium. But despite all that, he finished with the golden boot and that has helped him shoot back into the top 10.
A poor form for Tottenham at the end of the season saw him drop out but the six goals in the World Cup helped him a lot. He is now raring to go for Tottenham again in their brand new stadium and it will be exciting to see if he can replicate his form from the 2016/17 season and win the golden boot back.
#6 Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah has to consider himself unlucky to be slipping down the rank. The Egyptian has a stunning season with Liverpool but that injury in the Champions League final just ruined his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or!
He was the hot favourite at one point but when Cristiano Ronaldo decided that he was going to help Real Madrid win the Champions League again, there was nothing Salah could do to match his performance.
Now with a disappointing World Cup, his chances of winning the trophy or even making it to the podium have diminished. Liverpool have strengthened their squad and will be hoping that it helps Salah get better and help it helps him improve his chances.
#5 Lionel Messi
A poor display at the World Cup sees Lionel Messi's rank take a huge fall. He was 2nd for the last couple of months but is now 5th in the list! He's got a lot to do this season to have a chance of winning the Ballon d'Or.
Barcelona are doing all they can to help him achieve that and have signed some exciting players. With Malcom and Arthur Melop arriving, Messi will be able to concentrate completely on scoring goals and forget about creating them.
He needs to replicate his last season's form to have any chance of winning the Ballon d'Or this year.
#4 Antoine Griezmann
What a year it has been for Antoine Griezmann. He won the Europa League with Atletico Madrid and the World Cup with France. Moreover, he ended all the drama and rumors surrounding his move to Barcelona by releasing a documentary and making it clear that he is not leaving Atletico.
With 26 goals and 11 assists last season, one can hardly argue that he didn't play a big part in helping his sides win the trophies. Many might argue that he did not contribute with goals in the latter stages of both tournaments but his role on the pitch was of creating and not just scoring.
#3 Luka Modric
What a stunning form Luka Modric has been! From being voted as the 'worst signing by Real Madrid' to winning the Champions League 4 times and taking his country to the World Cup finals, the Croatian has done it all!
He turns 33 this year and this is only chance of winning or making it to the podium of the Ballon d'Or! But will he make it when the voting is done? Only time will tell.
Speaking about the prestigious award, Modric said, “Ballon d’Or? It would be nice to win it because it means people enjoyed my football this year. But others deserve it too. My friend Cristiano Ronaldo was great for us again and had a good World Cup too. We will see.”
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Winning the Champions League with Real Madrid put Cristiano Ronaldo in the driver's seat for the Ballon d'Or this year. He was ruthless in the Round of 16 and the Last 8 of the UEFA competition but was unable to replicate that form in the World Cup.
He scored a hat-trick vs Spain and the only goal in the match vs Morocco but could not do anything when they came up against Iran and Uruguay. He was almost not seen on the pitch for both games and that saw his ranking take a slight dip.
He's now moved to Juventus and is raring to have a go at this new challenge. He will have to have a great start to the season to have a chance of winning the Ballon d'Or for the 3rd year running.
#1 Kylian Mbappe
At the age of 19, Kylian Mbappe has won the Ligue 1 twice and lifted the World Cup as well. He is so good that he has been compared to the great Pele and is touted to break the Brazilian legends records.
He has completed his £168 million move to PSG and has rebuffed all talks about a move away. All he needs to do now is maintain his goalscoring form and there will be nothing that can stop him from winning the Ballon d'Or, well, apart from the journalists who vote that is.
