Modric Not Worried About Winning Ballon d´Or

Real Madrid and Croatia star Luka Modric is not worried about winning the Ballon d’Or, saying he had a great year whether he claimed the prize or not.

Modric, 33, is a favourite to win the coveted individual honour after helping Madrid to the Champions League title and leading Croatia to the World Cup final in 2018.

But the midfielder, already named FIFA’s Best Men’s Player in September, said he was unworried about the Ballon d’Or.

“I said last time I’m honoured to be in this competition for this great award,” Modric said after Croatia’s 2-1 loss to England in the Nations League on Sunday.

“If it happened, no-one [will be] happier than me, but if not, nothing will change.

“My year was great and that’s it.”

Croatia’s defeat at Wembley saw them relegated from League A of the Nations League after finishing third in Group 4.

The 2018 Ballon d’Or is the 53rd annual award ceremony recognising the best male footballer in the world for 2018. The winners will be announced on 3 December 2018 and, for the first time in its history, the Ballon d’Or Féminin and Kop Trophy will be awarded to the best woman and male under-21 footballer, respectively

The 30 nominees for the award were announced on 9 October 2018. Here’s the full list below:

Ballon d’Or

Rank Player Club(s) Points
 Sergio Agüero  Manchester City
 Alisson Becker  Roma
 Liverpool
 Gareth Bale  Real Madrid
 Karim Benzema  Real Madrid
 Edinson Cavani  Paris Saint-Germain
 Thibaut Courtois  Chelsea
 Real Madrid
 Kevin De Bruyne  Manchester City
 Roberto Firmino  Liverpool
 Diego Godín  Atlético Madrid
 Antoine Griezmann  Atlético Madrid
 Eden Hazard  Chelsea
 Isco  Real Madrid
 Harry Kane  Tottenham Hotspur
 N’Golo Kanté  Chelsea
 Hugo Lloris  Tottenham Hotspur
 Mario Mandžukić  Juventus
 Sadio Mané  Liverpool
 Marcelo  Real Madrid
 Kylian Mbappé  Paris Saint-Germain
 Lionel Messi  Barcelona
 Luka Modrić  Real Madrid
 Neymar  Paris Saint-Germain
 Jan Oblak  Atlético Madrid
 Paul Pogba  Manchester United
 Ivan Rakitić  Barcelona
 Sergio Ramos  Real Madrid
 Cristiano Ronaldo  Real Madrid
 Juventus
 Mohamed Salah  Liverpool
 Luis Suárez  Barcelona
 Raphaël Varane  Real Madrid

Ballon d’Or Féminin

Rank Player Club(s) Points
 Lucy Bronze  Lyon
Denmark Pernille Harder  Wolfsburg
 Ada Hegerberg  Lyon
 Amandine Henry  Lyon
 Lindsey Horan  Portland Thorns
 Fran Kirby  Chelsea
 Sam Kerr  Chicago Red Stars
 Saki Kumagai  Lyon
 Amel Majri  Lyon
 Dzsenifer Marozsan  Lyon
 Marta  Orlando Pride
 Lieke Martens  Barcelona
 Megan Rapinoe  Seattle Reign
 Wendie Renard  Lyon
 Christine Sinclair  Portland Thorns

Kopa Trophy

Rank Player Club(s) Points
 Houssem Aouar  Lyon
 Trent Alexander-Arnold  Liverpool
 Patrick Cutrone  Milan
 Ritsu Doan  Groningen
 Gianluigi Donnarumma  Milan
 Amadou Haidara  Red Bull Salzburg
 Justin Kluivert  Ajax
 Roma
 Kylian Mbappé  Paris Saint-Germain
 Christian Pulisic  Borussia Dortmund
 Rodrygo  Santos

Obodo Charles

I'm a passionate football enthusiast and writer, that brings the beautiful game to life through incisive analysis, compelling storytelling, and deep tactical insight. I have a huge interest in Nigerian and global football, covering everything from player performances and transfer news to behind-the-scenes narratives that shape and define the modern game. My work and content is driven by a desire to inform, engage, intrigue and spark meaningful conversations among football fans across Africa and beyond.