Top 5 contenders for the 2018 Ballon d'Or award excluding Messi and Ronaldo

#3 Antoine Griezmann

France v Croatia - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Final — The attacker led his nation to claim the prestigious World Cup trophy in Russia

After suffering a nightmare in the 2016 European Cup final against Portugal, French winger Antoine Griezmann finally succeeded in leading his nation to glory this year. The attacker was one of the most impressive players during the World Cup in Russia, bagging 4 goals and 2 assists as well as guiding France to claim the prestigious trophy once again.

Apart from his international success, Griezmann also had a great campaign with Atletico Madrid. He bagged 19 goals and 9 assists to help the Rojiblancos pip Real Madrid to the second position on the La Liga table last term, as well as leading the club to claim the UEFA Europa League, recording 6 goals and 4 assists to his name in the tournament.

Having produced a lot of incredible performances and tasting success at both club and international level, the Atletico Madrid talisman remains one of the strong contenders to claim the prestigious Ballon d'Or accolade this year.

All stats via transfermarkt.co.uk

About the author

Jidonu is a European and international football news writer at Sportskeeda. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and has around 7 years of previous experience working with the likes of Tribuna and SportRaba, Jidonu has a good eye for detail and has the ability to created cohesive articles, and reporting exploits have also led him to exclusively cover the 2018 FIFA World Cup in the past.

Jidonu’s tryst with football started after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, being mesmerized by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Barcelona philosophy and approach towards the game under Pep Guardiola further fueled the burgeoning love for the sport, and he has been a Culer ever since.

Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi is his favorite player and is the one true GOAT for him over Cristiano Ronaldo. The 2022 FIFA World Cup final, where Messi's brace led to La Albiceleste lifting the cup left a lasting impact on him. His love for Messi also sees him follow Major League Soccer apart from Europe’s top five leagues.

In his free time, Jidonu raps and produces music, and also enjoys reading and swimming.

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Edited by Jay M