{"id":305668,"date":"2018-12-03T17:26:42","date_gmt":"2018-12-03T22:26:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonfootball.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=305668"},"modified":"2018-12-03T17:26:42","modified_gmt":"2018-12-03T22:26:42","slug":"luka-modric-wins-the-2018-ballon-dor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2018\/12\/03\/luka-modric-wins-the-2018-ballon-dor\/","title":{"rendered":"Luka Modric Wins the 2018 Ballon d’Or"},"content":{"rendered":"

Real Madrid<\/a> midfielder Luka Modric<\/a> has won the 2018 Ballon d’Or, becoming the first Croatian ever to do so. It is the first time since 2007 that neither Cristiano Ronaldo<\/a> nor Lionel Messi<\/a> has won the award after Modric beat finalists Ronaldo and Antoine Griezmann<\/a> to this year’s prize.<\/p>\n

Kylian Mbappe<\/a>, who finished fourth in the overall competition, won the inaugural Kopa trophy, awarded to the world’s best under-21 player. Ada Hegerberg, the striker who scored 15 times for Lyon in their victorious Champions League campaign, won the first ever women’s prize.<\/p>\n

Luka Modric Wins the 2018 Ballon d’Or<\/h1>\n

Modric’s Remarkable Year<\/h2>\n

Luka Modric has already won UEFA’s and FIFA’s main individual awards this year after a stellar season for club and country. Real Madrid won their third consecutive Champions League, with Modric being named the midfielder of the tournament. Modric seemed almost unable to comprehend that he had won.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an unbelievable feeling and a big pleasure to be here among all these players.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am still trying to realise that I have become part of a group of exceptional players. To win means I did something really special on the pitch this year, that\u2019s why 2018 was the year for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was his performances for Croatia at the World Cup that may have swung the balance. He was exemplary throughout the tournament as his unfancied Croatian side reached the final. He won the Golden Ball, marking the best player at the tournament, and was the bookies’ favourite for the Ballon d’Or before the evening began.<\/p>\n

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\ud83c\udfc6\u26bd BALLON D'OR 2018
\ud83c\udded\ud83c\uddf7 @lukamodric10<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/aEvfNWXwJl<\/a><\/p>\n

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) December 3, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n