Luka Modric won the Balon D’or for the 2017/18 and I believe that this was undeserved. The Balon D’or was originally a trophy that was awarded to the player who had the best individual season , with both Messi and Ronaldo winning it 5 times each from 2008-2017. Throughout this time, many players didn’t win this trophy due to these two being arguably the best to have ever played the game, but the player who was to end these two dominance should have not been Luka Modric. Many players who have had better seasons than him haven’t won it in the past such as, Ribery, Iniesta, Suarez, Sneijdar, and Xavi to name a few. Seeing the top 5 of the Balon D’or this year having Messi at 5th, Mbappe at 4th, Greizmann at 3rd, Ronaldo at 2nd, and Modric winning, I highly disagree with these results and have my top 5 players of the year.
5. Luka Modric
Although I don’t think he was the best player of the year, I do recognize that he is brilliant midfielder and was definitely one of the best of 2018. Modric was an important figure to Real Madrid’s dominance in Europe, winning the Champions League for the third year in the row. He also helped take Croatia to the World Cup final, winning player of the tournament, but I do believe that he won the award due to all the marketing and publicity he received this year. He went from being an underrated player to the “best in the world” in a matter of months. Many said he carried Croatia to the World Cup final when in reality Croatia, made it as a team. The team was filled with superstars such as Modric himself, Ivan Rakitic, Ivan Perisic, Marcel Brozovic, Mario Mandzukic, and Mateo Kovacic in the team. He also only had 4 goals and 8 assist this season, stats that a Balon D’or winner shouldn’t have. Real Madrid are also currently having a horrendous season after the departures of Ronaldo and Zidane. If Modric is the best player in the world, them I frankly don’t believe Madrid should be struggling as much as they are this season.
4. Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne had the best season of his life in the 2017/18 campaign, getting 10 goals and 22 assist. Being in the same position as Luka Modric and playing in more difficult league, if a midfielder were to win the Balon d’or it should have been Kevin De Bruyne. He was the main man at Manchester City, helping them get to the Quarter-finals of the Champions League, and winning the Premier League with a record 100 points in a season. He was also a very crucial player in the World Cup, scoring a very crucial goal versus Brazil that took them to the Semi-finals and getting third place.
3. Mohamed Salah
If there were a player to win the Balon D’or this season over Messi and Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah most definitely deserved it. After a let down season with Chelsea in 2014/15 season, Mohamed Salah signed for Liverpool in the summer of 2017 with another chance to play in the Premier League. He came hungry and full of determination to prove his critics wrong, stating he wasn’t suitable for England’s top-flight division. In his first full season back, he went on to score 32 goals in the Premier League, breaking the record for the most goals in a single season. He scored a total of 45 goals and 8 assists last season for club and country at right wing, taking Egypt to their first World Cup since 1980. He was also Jurgen Klopps main man at Liverpool, taking them the Champions League final for the first time since 2005. Salah was subbed of injured in the first half of the match, if he wasn’t subbed off maybe Liverpool could have possibly beat Real Madrid and won the Champions League.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
The Balon D’or has been between him and Messi for the past 10 years and everyone wanted a new winner to come but at the same time, the reward is for the best individual player of the year and it’s been between these two again. Choosing between the two is always difficult and is always very close. Ronaldo ended the 2017/18 season winning the Champions League with Real Madrid, being their most crucial player in the competition getting an astonishing 15 goals with 2 assists in the Champions league. He had a total of 45 goals and 7 assists in the 2017/18 season in all competitions and started a new chapter in his career, joining Juventus this season. After his departure, Real Madrid had a terrible start to the season that led to Real Madrid manger Julen Lopetegui to get sacked for selling the superstar. If Ronaldo would have stayed at Madrid, he would have no doubt won the Balon D’or being in the current club that is the champions of Europe.
1, Lionel Messi
Winner or not, it is an absolute disgrace that Lionel Messi is 5th place in the Balon D’or rankings. Lionel Messi got an incredible 44 goals and 12 assists in all competitions last season playing as a right winger for both Barcelona and Argentina. He won La Liga and Copa Del Rey last season and qualified Argentina to the World Cup on the last game of qualifications with a hat-trick. The Balon D’or should go to the player with the best individual season and Messi’s numbers show why he should be the winner. Luka Modric won the best player of the World Cup and “carried” Croatia to the final which is why people believe he deserved it. In 2014, Lionel Messi actually did carry Argentina to the World Cup finals, with 4 goals and 1 assist in the competition, compared to Modric’s 2 goals and 1 assist. Messi really had only help from Angel Di Maria and Javier Mascherano to the final, along with Sergio Romero’s unforgettable penalty shoot-out versus the Netherlands. Players such as Aguero and Higuain failed to turn up in that tournament, meanwhile Croatia’s whole team turned up. Messi won the player of the tournament in 2014 but failed to win the Balon D’or that year, so if Modric deserves it from the World Cup, then Messi deserved in 2014 as well. Messi for me deserved the Balon D’or for his Argentina heroics, and continuing to have the most goals and assists in all competitions last season. He was the best individual player last season, and it’s a disgrace that the Balon d’or has him at 5th making the prize lose both its value and credibility.
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