Is Messi-Ronaldo Ballon d'Or dominance coming to an end sooner than we thought?
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the Balon d'or for a decade. However, despite Messi and Ronaldo both scoring over 50 goals for club and country last season and over 7 goals and recording 5 assists so far this season, the rise of youth prospects such as Kylian Mbappe and World Cup stars such as Luka Modric could see the end of Messi and Ronaldo's claim to the throne of the king of football.
So with Messi and CR7 thought to be out the picture, who are the current contenders for the Ballon d'Or? Kylian Mbappe will surely believe he has a shout after lighting up the World Cup with 4 goals, helping France eventually lift the trophy, after already scoring a combined 17 goals in the Champions League and League 1 at the age of only just 19 so perhaps his world dominance is yet to come in the world of football.
Meanwhile, in Madrid, there is a fresh contender for the famous golden ball as Luka Modric returns to Los Blancos after an exceptional World Cup with runners-up Croatia, who many thought wouldn't even make it out of the group stage. Luka Modric showed off his fantastic leadership skills alongside his passing range and goal-scoring ability during the World cup with his famous goal against Argentina in the group stage, earning him the player of the tournament as captain of his country. The Real Madrid defender also had a fantastic season domestically as he helped Madrid lift the Champions League for the 13th time and third time in a row.
Similarly, another Real Madrid player has also enjoyed a great year. French centre-back Raphael Varane has had a year all footballers dream of yet few achieve as he lifted the World Cup and Champions League with France and Real Madrid and on both occasions proving to be a rock at the heart of both sides defence. Varane's performances in both these competitions landed him a place in both the Champions League and World Cup team of the tournament with especially key performances against Liverpool and Bayern Munich in the final and semi-final.
Ultimately, the final player that could be set to win the Ballon d'or 2018 and the only Premier League player on this list is Mohamed Salah. Moreover, his sensational 44 goals in 52 appearances for Liverpool last season, numbers only Messi and Ronaldo beat, Mo Salah has got to be up there to win the honour of the Ballon d'or. His goals helped Liverpool to reach the Champions League final for the first time since 2005. With last seasons PFA player of the year award already in his trophy cabinet, Salah will be looking to add yet another individual award to his already impressive trophy cabinet.
To conclude, Messi and Ronaldo's dominance of football is coming to an end whether its sooner rather than later, with players such as Kylian Mbappe looking likely to dominate football for years to come and other players at the peak of their powers such as Modric, Salah and Varane.