“It’s not fair to their colleagues” - When Luka Modric criticized Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for failure to attend 2018 Ballon d'Or ceremony
At the 2018 Ballon d'Or awards, Real Madrid's Croatian superstar Luka Modric had an axe to grind with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The duo were the two most successful players in the history of the award but they opted to not attend the ceremony that year.
The pair had each claimed five Ballon d'Or awards at the time and Modric could not hide his disappointment at their choice to miss the ceremony, saying (via Bleacher Report):
"I cannot say why someone did not attend—that's their choice. That is logical, is it not? "It turns out... trophies only have value when they get them. It is not fair to their playing colleagues, or to the voters who have nominated them for the past 10 years—nor for football or supporters. But I repeat, everyone behaves the way they think they need to."
The Croatian also rubbished claims that the award was about the greatness of players, insisting the vote was an appreciation of seasonal performances, saying:
"Here we are talking about seasonal performance, and it probably means that all the coaches, players, football legends and journalists have voted the same. "
"Or are they all mistaken at the same time? If we vote on the quality of the player, then the only thing left is to distribute all the trophies for Messi and Ronaldo as long as they are actively playing and to abandon any vote."
Luka Modric's win ended a decade of dominance from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at the Ballon d'Or awards.
What Luka Modric said after beating Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the Ballon d'Or
In 2018, Luka Modric defeated the legendary duo of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to pick up the Ballon d'Or. His triumph made him the first Croatian to claim the award as a reward for his impact in Real Madrid's third consecutive UEFA Champions League triumph.
The legendary midfielder also led Croatia on a magical run to the World Cup final in Moscow, to cap off a wonderful year. The win saw Modric become the first player since Kaka in 2007 to win the award not named Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Speaking after he received the Ballon d'Or award, Luka Modric said (via Marca):
“It hasn't been easy, but I have won it. History will say that a Croatian player, representing his small country, won the Ballon d'Or after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who are players at another level. They are the best in the history of this sport. To come after them is incredible, although I don't think for one second that it's over for them.”
Luka Modric had made 43 appearances for Real Madrid in the 2017-18 campaign, scoring twice and assisting eight goals to lead them to a Supercopa de Espana and UEFA Champions League glory.