Top 5 candidates to win the Ballon d'Or in 2018

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated all sorts of individual awards for the past ten year - so much so that the idea of another winner emerging to scene seems to be extremely difficult to imagine.

However, nothing lasts forever, and just like other players have won the award in the past, there will eventually be a new Ballon d'Or winner in the future. But the question is, when will the reign of these footballing giants finally come to end? With the FIFA World Cup a couple of months away, 2018 could well be an opportunity for the rest to have a shot at the prestigious trophy.

Having said that, who are the top five candidates to win the Ballon d'Or in 2018?

#5 - Kylian Mbappé:

The sky is the limit for Kylian Mbappé

Kylian Mbappé became the second most expensive transfer in football history after Paris Saint Germain signed his services for around £166 millions last summer. The 19-year old had been displaying his quality in France where he helped AS Monaco win the league, as well as in the UEFA Champions League after guiding his side to the semi finals after some superb performances against the likes of Manchester CIty and Borussia Dortmund.

Mbappé was the biggest revelation of 2017 in the European continent, and is already touted by the pundits as a youngster with the potential to win the Ballon d'Or in the near future. The situation has not been any different since the versatile attacker joined PSG, as he has been in incredible form in all competitions, mainly in the Champions League where he was the protagonist against German giants FC Bayern, over the two legs.

With a total of 12 goals and 11 assists, Kylian is already justifying PSG's faith in him. With the World Cup knocking, Mbappé could well lead a very promising French side to the later stages of the competition. In case he manages to write history and inspire them to win it, he would quite possibly be the favorite to be crowned as the world's best player in 2018.

#4 - Kevin De Bruyne:

Kevin de Bruyne has been in sensational form under Pep Guardiola

Kevin De Bruyne has taken the English Premier League by storm this season, as not many would argue with the fact that he has been the best player so far. Inspiring his side to victory after victory, he proved his worth in the big games by scoring decisive goals against the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham.

In De Bruyne's case, it is not likely that the World Cup would be the essential reason as to why he would possibly be crowned player of the year. Belgium are not considered among the top three or four favorites to achieve glory, however a strong tournament just like James Rodriguez had with Colombia in 2014 is certainly not beyond imagination - and it would back his case, following a superb season at club level.

What the Belgium international needs to do, is to keep up his strong performances with Man City, who are extremely likely to win the English league. The next challenge is the UEFA Champions League, where De Bruyne is demanded to lift his team to the final, and why not have a go at the title.

If he wants to win the Ballon d'Or, it is imperative that he guides City to European triumph. Having said that, the English side does look pretty impressive this season under the command of Spanish tactician Pep Guardiola, who has already previously won the award on two different occasions.

#3 - Cristiano Ronaldo:

After the Euro Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo will be looking to add the World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is the only major trophy that Cristiano Ronaldo has failed to conquer throughout his career. Despite a bad start to the league with Real Madrid and despite the fact that the title is now FC Barcelona's to lose, the UEFA Champions League and Russia 2018 remain up for grabs, as they will be the essential two competitions that decide the identity of the Ballon d'Or winner in 2018.

Ronaldo is not living his best season ever, but despite that, you can never ever doubt the Portuguese ace. As a matter of fact, he remains the leading goal-scorer of the Champions League with six goals - at least three more than his closest competitor. It cannot be forgotten that he scored against FC Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup, as well as the winner against Brazilian giants Gremio, in the club World Cup final. It all goes to show you that Cristiano has been on top form in all competitions this season, besides La Liga. So there is no reason why he wouldn't retrieve his goal-scoring habits with Portugal in Russia.

Likewise, Real Madrid have been terrible in league action this season, but have already claimed three trophies despite that, and have managed to qualify to the knockout phase of the CL. If the last few years have taught us anything, it is that you can never rule them out from any competition, nor Cristiano Ronaldo from any individual award.

#2 - Neymar Jr.:

2018 could finally be Neymar's year

One might think that the pressure on Neymar Jr. to prove his worth in 2018 is considerably lesser than the one on Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, because he plays in the French League as well as for being years younger than both of them, so would still have a shot at the World Cup in Qatar 2022.

However, this theory could not be any less inaccurate. As a matter of fact, the pressure on Neymar in 2018 will be higher than in any previous year throughout his career. After completing a mega-money swap from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint Germain, the expectations are very high from the most expensive player in football history.

If PSG invested so much in this transfer, it is essentially because they are aiming for UEFA Champions League triumph - despite the fact that the Brazilian's arrival has been a key factor as to why they are heavily likely to retrieve the Ligue 1 title after AS Monaco had snatched it away from them last season.

Neymar's first major challenge will be against Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid, in the round of 16 in CL taking place in February. The Brazilian is demanded to show his best level in such big games, and to guide PSG all the way to the title.

Having said that, the FIFA World Cup remains the biggest tournament in World Football, and if Neymar manages to guide Brazil to the record sixth star, then you can bet that the whole globe will be talking about it. As opposed to 2014 when Cristiano Ronaldo was named the player of the year as World Cup winners Germany did not have a stand-out individual, if Brazil win the title this time around, Neymar would be the number one favorite to win the Ballon d'Or, as he is already a top three player in the world.

#1 - Lionel Messi:

Lionel Messi in the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2015

By the time the award is handed to the new winner in 2018, it would have been three years since the last time that Lionel Messi was crowned as the world player of the year. However, it seems 2018 could finally signal his return to the throne, for quite possibly a record 6th Ballon d'Or victory.

Lionel Messi has been essential in helping FC Barcelona cruise their way to the leadership of the Spanish league this season. It is perhaps more relevant to add that the difference with arch-rivals Real Madrid is already 14 points.

With La Liga being pretty much in the bags, what is the next step for Lionel Messi? The answer is obvious. What the Argentinian magician has to do is to inspire Barça to the UEFA Champions League title, or Argentina to their first FIFA World Cup since 1986. That's gonna be easier said than done, but if Messi can help his club or country win either one of the two, then he would be the favorite to win the Ballon d'Or.

In case of Champions League triumph with Barça, only Neymar would realistically stand a chance to compete with Messi, and this is under one condition - that Brazil wins the World Cup.

One thing is for sure, the race for the Ballon d'Or in 2018 seems more exciting than it has been for quite a while now. Could Neymar finally end the dominance of Cristiano and Messi?