Ballon d'Or 2018: Luka Modric beats Cristiano Ronaldo to award in Paris ceremony
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Your support makes all the difference.Luka Modric won the Ballon d'Or award for the first time on Monday, ending the 10-year dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Modric won the Champions League with Real Madrid and then guided Croatia to the World Cup final in July. He was voted player of the tournament.
"As a kid we all have dreams. My dream was to play for a big club and win important trophies," Modric said. "The Ballon d'Or was more than just a dream for me and it is really an honor and a privilege to hold this trophy."
Ronaldo was second in the Ballon d'Or followed by France forward Antoine Griezmann. France's teen star, Kylian Mbappe, was fourth in the polling. Brazil star Neymar, who was third last year, was a lowly 12th despite a domestic treble with Paris Saint-Germain.
Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg won the inaugural women's Ballon d'Or.
Re-live the ceremony:
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Ginola: "Your next objective, is it to lift the Ballon d'Or?"
Mbappe: "No. My next objective is to lift everything"
A statement of intent if ever there was one.
Here comes the countdown for the top 10, and it a an all-Premier League list with Harry Kane, Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard!
As we wait for the remaining seven, a reminder of what has come before:
8th: Eden Hazard (BEL/ Chelsea)
9th: Kevin De Bruyne (BEL/ Manchester City)
10th: Harry Kane (ENG/ Tottenham Hotspur)
11th: N'Golo Kante (FRA / Chelsea)
12th: Neymar (BRA / PSG)
13th: Luis Suarez (URU / FC Barcelona)
14th: Thibaut Courtois (BEL / Real Madrid)
15th: Paul Pogba (FRA / Manchester United)
16th: Sergio Aguero (ARG / Manchester City)
17th: Gareth Bale (WAL / Real Madrid)
17th: Karim Benzema (FRA / Real Madrid)
19th: Roberto Firmino (BRA / Liverpool)
19th: Ivan Rakitic (CRO / FC Barcelona)
19th: Sergio Ramos (SPA / Real Madrid)
22nd: Edinson Cavani (URU / PSG)
22nd: Sadio Mane (SEN / Liverpool)
22nd: Marcelo (BRA / Real Madrid)
25th: Alisson Becker (BRA / Liverpool)
25th: Mario Mandzukic (CRO / Juventus)
25th: Jan Oblak (SLO / Atletico Madrid)
28th: Diego Godin (URU / Atletico Madrid)
29th: Isco (SPA / Real Madrid)
29th: Hugo Lloris (FRA / Tottenham).
The next three have been announced for the award, and it is not pretty reading for Lionel Messi.
It is his lowest position since 2006 as he finishes 5th, but ahed of Raphael Varane in 7th and Mohamed Salah in sixth, who both competed in the Champions League final.
The first ever winner of the Women's Ballon d'Or is Ada Hegerberg of Lyon and Norway.
"It is fantastic. It is great achievement for me."
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