Bale, Benzema, Courtois, Isco, Marcelo, Modric, Ramos and Varane are the Real Madrid players candidates to win the Ballon d’Or Award in 2018. France Football will announce the winner at the end of the year among the 30 footballers shortlisted. Antoine Griezmann is the main favourite this time to win the prize.
Real Madrid is the club with more candidates in the final list. FC Barcelona or Atlético Madrid, for instance, have three each one, but the three Champions League titles in a row won by Los Blancos have too much weight in these individual prizes.
Despite having won The Best Award and the UEFA Player of the Year, Luka Modric is not the favourite this time to win. Antoine Griezmann shows up as the main candidate to bring home the award. We have to think that this prize is given by France Football and France won the World Cup in July. None of the French players have won an individual award, so perhaps it’s time for the Atlético Madrid player, especially after lifting also the Europa League trophy.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have won this award in the last decade. The Portuguese striker is also among the big favourites but he left the World Cup in the Last 16 round with Portugal and his performance in the Champions League final wasn’t decisive, so he lost the opportunity to bring home another Golden Ball.
This year the votation will be very tight. There hasn’t been a player outstanding from the crowd, but many might deserve it. Cristiano Ronaldo, Antoine Griezmann, Luka Modric, Kylian Mbappé, Leo Messi or Mohamed Salah could be entitled to win the award but only one would win it. Taking in consideration that this is given by a French magazine and since they won the World Cup in 1998 no one from this country could win it, Griezmann has all the odds to bring home the Golden Ball. Who do you think should win it?
