Top 5 candidates to win the Ballon d'Or in 2018
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated all sorts of individual awards for the past ten year - so much so that the idea of another winner emerging to scene seems to be extremely difficult to imagine.
However, nothing lasts forever, and just like other players have won the award in the past, there will eventually be a new Ballon d'Or winner in the future. But the question is, when will the reign of these footballing giants finally come to end? With the FIFA World Cup a couple of months away, 2018 could well be an opportunity for the rest to have a shot at the prestigious trophy.
Having said that, who are the top five candidates to win the Ballon d'Or in 2018?
#5 - Kylian Mbappé:
Kylian Mbappé became the second most expensive transfer in football history after Paris Saint Germain signed his services for around £166 millions last summer. The 19-year old had been displaying his quality in France where he helped AS Monaco win the league, as well as in the UEFA Champions League after guiding his side to the semi finals after some superb performances against the likes of Manchester CIty and Borussia Dortmund.
Mbappé was the biggest revelation of 2017 in the European continent, and is already touted by the pundits as a youngster with the potential to win the Ballon d'Or in the near future. The situation has not been any different since the versatile attacker joined PSG, as he has been in incredible form in all competitions, mainly in the Champions League where he was the protagonist against German giants FC Bayern, over the two legs.
With a total of 12 goals and 11 assists, Kylian is already justifying PSG's faith in him. With the World Cup knocking, Mbappé could well lead a very promising French side to the later stages of the competition. In case he manages to write history and inspire them to win it, he would quite possibly be the favorite to be crowned as the world's best player in 2018.