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Ballon d'Or 2018: Messi, Ronaldo, Modric and others- Favourites, underdogs, latest odds and ranking nominee's chances
Ronaldo and Messi have won the Ballon d'Or award for 10 years. Can Modric, Salah or Kane upstage them this year?
DNA Web Team | Oct 09, 2018, 08:45 AM IST
1.Ballon d'or Nominees
Other than the usual suspects of Ronaldo, Messi and Modric this year the list also includes stars like England's Harry Kane and Real Madrid's Welsh star Gareth Bale. Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero also features while Mo Salah is joined by his Liverpool mates Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. Liverpool (and former AS Roma) goalkeeper Alisson is also there with Paul Pogba also included for his world cup show. Chelsea pair Eden Hazard and N’Golo Kante also feature on the 30-man list.
Here's the full list:
| Ballon d'Or (Men's nominees) Awards |
|---|
| Sergio Aguero (Manchester City, Argentina) |
| Alisson (Liverpool, Brazil) |
| Gareth Bale (Real Madrid, Wales) |
| Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France) |
| Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain, Uruguay) |
| Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, Belgium) |
| Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus, Portugal) |
| Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium) |
| Roberto Firmino (Liverpool, Brazil) |
| Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid, Uruguay) |
| Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid, France) |
| Eden Hazard (Chelsea, Belgium) |
| Isco (Real Madrid, Spain) |
| Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur, England) |
| N'Golo Kante (Chelsea, France) |
| Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur, France) |
| Mario Mandzukic (Juventus, Croatia) |
| Sadio Mane (Liverpool, Senegal) |
| Marcelo (Real Madrid, Brazil) |
| Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain, France) |
| Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina) |
| Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Croatia) |
| Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain, Brazil) |
| Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid, Slovenia) |
| Paul Pogba (Manchester United, France) |
| Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona, Croatia) |
| Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid, Spain) |
| Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, Egypt) |
| Luis Suarez (Barcelona, Uruguay) |
| Raphael Varane (Real Madrid, France) |
(Image: Reuters)
2.Raphael Varane
Defenders usually get a raw deal in football and specially football awards. Raphael Varane, the Real Madrid and France star, is an example of that. Varane has won the Champions League and the FIFA World Cup this year. He was heavily nominated by his fellow players during The Best FIFA Awards. But will he buck the trend and win the Ballon d'Or? Seems unlikely. In fact, it seems so unlikely that most betting sites are not even giving odds on Varane. That's just one of the reasons that it would be so great to see Varane win the Ballon d'Or 2018.
Betting Odds: N/A
Our ranking: Ultimate Underdog
(Image: Reuters)
3.Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin de Bruyne was argubly the best player in the Premier League last season. He was also a top performer for Belgium at the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia. While the second least favourite in betting odds right now (just ahead of Sergio Ramos!), he deserves a look.
Betting Odds: 33 (Sky Bet)
Our ranking: Underdog
(Image: Reuters)
4.Mo Salah
Mohamed Salah was hot last year- he has had a great season for Liverpool and helped Egypt get into the FIFA World Cup 2018. However, his star has dimmed a little since then. He was injured in the Champions League final and failed to do much for Egypt in Russia. However, if the choice is only made on the basis of last season, he could be a contender. He is the sixth favourite of the bookies.
Betting Odds: 20 (Sky Bet)
Our ranking: Outside chance
(Image: Reuters)
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5.Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann has always been eclipsed by Messi and Ronaldo in La Liha. However, the forward has always performed for his side be it France or Atletico Madrid. He is tied with Messi in the latest betting odds.
Betting Odds: 16 (Sky Bet)
Our ranking: 5
(Image: Reuters)
6.Kylian Mbappe
With odds at 10, Mbappe has made himself third favourite. The France and PSG star is being hailed as the best young players right now and he has justified that with his performances so far.
Betting Odds: 10 (Sky Bet)
Our ranking: 4
(Image: Reuters)
7.Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi missed out the shortlist for The Best FIFA awards earlier. His exclusion created a lot of controversy but it seems the Argentina and Barcelona star are also going to miss out on Ballon d'Or also. He is joint-fourth in the Sky Bet odds with Antoine Griezmann.
Betting Odds: 16 (Sky Bet)
Our ranking: 3
(Image: Reuters)
8.Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo has won the award for the past two years and five times in all, a record he shares with Messi. Ronaldo's nomination comes after the 33-year-old last week denied rape allegations levelled against him by a woman. According to Sky Bet, he is the second favourite to win the trophy.
Betting Odds: 5/4 (Sky Bet)
Our ranking: 2
(Image: Reuters)
9.Luka Modric
Luka Modric is the favourite to win the award. The Croatia and Real Madrid star won the Golden Ball as the best player at this year's World Cup in Russia, where Croatia finished runners-up and last month claimed FIFA's The Best men's player award. He is the bookies' favourite too.
Betting Odds: 4/7 (Sky Bet)
Our ranking: No. 1 favourite
(Image: Reuters)
