Croatia's Luka Modric won the 2018 Men's Ballon d'Or on Monday, ending the 10-year tight grip that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had on the award.
Modric, who led Croatia to a historic World Cup final this year and was part of the triumphant Real Madrid team in the Champions League, acknowledged other players in the running for the best player apart from Ronaldo and Messi, including French World Cup stars Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann.
“To win it, it means that I did something really special on the pitch this year. That's why 2018 is a dream year for me,” Modric said after receiving the award. The Croatian midfielder had also claimed the Golden Ball for the best player at the World Cup before picking up UEFA's prize for player of the season and FIFA's best player award in September.
Modric's former teammate at Real Madrid Ronaldo came second, with Atletico Madrid striker Griezmann taking the third place. Mbappe, who is only a couple of weeks shy from his 20th birthday, came fourth and also won the Kopa Trophy for the best young player. Completing the top five was Argentina and Barcelona great Messi. This is the first time since 2006 that Messi has finished outside the top three.
This year also saw a women's Ballon d'Or named for the first time and the honour went to Norwegian striker Ada Hegerberg. She won the women's prize after starring for French side Lyon as they successfully defended the Champions League title and won a 12th consecutive French title.
“I want to say thanks to my teammates because this would not have been possible without them, my coach or our president Jean-Michel Aulas,” Hegerberg said. “I also want to thank France Football. This is a huge step for women's football.”
(With inputs from AFP)
