Magic Modric

World Cup finalist, Champions League winner and now Ballon D’or winner, there is no doubt Luka Modric has been the best football player this year. 

The world of football seems to have definitively agreed that Luka Modric was football’s best player in 2018 or at least of the summer. Following his success in the Champions League and the 2018 World Cup, the Croatian has been one of the most talked about players in world football and that has been furthered by his Ballon D’or victory.

My previous article highlighted how Modric had been the best player of the World Cup and my readers agreed. The survey I conducted showed that almost half the people asked believe Modric was the best player at the World Cup, with 18 out of 38 people stating they thought he was the best.

Kylian Mbappe was second on the poll with 11 out of 38 votes with readers stating “His goals helped France win the tournament” and “Best striker in Europe at the moment.”

The results of the survey were similar to what I had stated and the top two turned out the same as mine and the experts’ opinions. The third best player of the 2018 World Cup according to my survey was Harry Kane. While I had him placed tenth, some readers clearly felt the top scorer deserved a higher placement and was the player of the competition.

Modric’s Success

Modric has definitely had his best season this year, achieving both international and domestic success. He was an influential part of the Real Madrid that successfully defended their UEFA Champions League trophy, playing 11 of their 13 games. He captained his national side Croatia to the World Cup final, the furthest they’ve ever made it in the competition.

His success this year has led to him making history, becoming the first player since Kaka to win it outside of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The decade reign of the two players domination of the award was ended by the Croatian and it could be argued there was no one worthier to end it.

I don’t personally feel he should have won the award, as it is the best player of the year, based off individual performances. However, often winners have been decided by a mix of individual success as well as silverware won by their respective teams and when considering that, Modric certainly has a right to be a contender for the award and deserves to make such history.