Late in the evening, October 8, the authoritative edition of France Football announced the list of 30 contenders for the 2018 Golden Ball award. The current winner of the award is the star Cristiano Ronaldo, but the failure at the 2018 World Cup combined with accusations of violence hit the Portuguese position. It seems that the era of Messi and Ronaldo is over, the portal is trying to figure out who and why should receive the Golden Ball 2018.

It is worth noting that the Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual award in football and is not awarded based on any specific criteria. Trophies for the club and the national team, individual statistics, media coverage, etc. are taken into account, and the best is determined by secret ballot by 96 journalists from all over the world, captains and coaches of all football associations.

Cristiano Ronaldo

To begin with, let's analyze the chances of success for the current owner of the Ballon d'Or Cristiano Ronaldo, who, according to the bookmakers, is not even one of the five contenders for the award. What did Ronaldo ZM-2018 deserve?

• Champions League 2017/18
• Champions League top scorer: 15 goals
• Season stats: 44 games, 44 goals, 8 assists

The Portuguese had another productive season, but it took a long time to gain momentum and was the subject of media criticism. Yes, Ronaldo has partially silenced everyone, scoring 15 goals in the Champions League, but neither in the final against Liverpool, nor in the semifinals against Bayern, Cristiano did not score.

At the World Cup in Russia, Ronaldo scored 4 goals, but together with Portugal left the tournament at the 1/8 finals. FIFA has already bypassed Ronaldo by giving the FIFA Player of the Year award to his former teammate Luka Modric. The rape allegations hit the star striker's prestige even more. For example, the series football simulators EA Sports has removed Ronaldo's face from the title page of its site.

Luka Modric (Real Madrid / Croatia national team)

The main contender for the 2018 Ballon d'Or is Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric. The 33-year-old playmaker has the best chance of wiping his nose over Ronaldo and Messi and preparing for football retirement with a sense of accomplishment.

• Champions League 2017/18
• World Cup Final 2018
• Best Player of the World Cup 2018
• FIFA Player of the Year
• Season stats: 43 games, 2 goals, 8 assists

It is difficult to compare Ronaldo and Modric, because one is the striker who attracts all the attention, and the other is the midfielder who does a lot of rough work to keep the same striker in the spotlight. Nevertheless, if you compare them, the Croat deserves the Ballon d'Or just as much. Modric brilliantly copes with the duties of a playmaker, keeps the center of the field on himself and last season regularly delivered shells to the attacking group - Bale, Asensio, Benzema, Isco, the same Ronaldo.

Modric was among the main characters at the 2018 World Cup and the main blacksmith of the historical success of the Croatian national team, for which he received the award for the best player in the tournament. FIFA has already awarded Modric the title of Player of the Year and it is hard to believe that the opinions of experts of the two most prestigious individual awards in the world can be so different.

Antoine Griezmann (Atlético / France)

The main rival of Modric in the fight for the most prestigious individual award in the world is the striker of Real Madrid and the French national team Antoine Griezmann.

• World Cup 2018
• Europa League 2017/18
• UEFA Super Cup 2018
• Season stats: 49 games, 29 goals, 15 assists

Antoine Griezmann may not have had a very impressive season in terms of statistics, but the Frenchman is on the side of the triumph at the World Cup, which is important in the first place. In club football, his “Atletico” also did not remain without trophies - the “mattress” won the Europa League, and a few months later beat Real Modric in the UEFA Super Cup match. In addition, Griezmann scored in two big finals - in the World Cup final and in the LE final, which is also an argument for many journalists and coaches.

Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain / France national team)

The top three favorites to win the Ballon d'Or 2018 are the striker of Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team Kylian Mbappé.

• World Cup 2018
• Championship, Cup, French Super Cup
• Season stats: 46 games, 21 goals, 15 assists

French striker Kilian Mbappé continues to amaze everyone with his game, at 19 he has won more than many great footballers have failed throughout their careers. Last season Mbappe collected a number of awards in French football, he also has decent statistics, and the decoration of all was his game at the World Cup. Thanks to Mbappé's goals, France beat Peru, Lionel Messi's Argentina passed in the 1/8 finals, and the striker also scored in the final.

A few days ago, Kylian Mbappé was shortlisted for the 2018 Golden Boy Award, the Best Young Player of the Year award. Mbappe is the current winner of the award and there is little doubt that the striker will receive it again this year, and matches such as against Lyon at the weekend, where Mbappe signed poker, are more confirmation of this. At the same time, Kilian Mbappe can make himself a gorgeous gift for his 20th birthday if he wipes his adult uncles' nose by winning the Ballon d'Or.

Raphael Varane (Real Madrid / France)

Only the fourth in the list of bookmakers to win the Ballon d'Or this year is the central defender of Real Madrid and the French national team Rafael Varane. But if you look at it, it is he who should receive the award.

• Champions League 2017/18
• World Cup 2018

We have already mentioned that it is very difficult for the defenders to get the Ballon d'Or, last time Fabio Cannavaro did it in 2006. Rafael Varane won the Champions League with Real Madrid and the World Cup with France, while being the main player in both the club and the national team. At this stage, Varane is one of the best center-backs in the world, at the same time the most expensive, the Frenchman is worth 80 million euros on the transfer market. If we were talking about a striker, then with such regalia, he would undoubtedly receive an award. And so it remains to be seen whether the journalists recognize the rough work of the defender or, as always, the striker will get the glory.

If, for such merits, Varane does not receive the Golden Ball, or at least does not get into the top three, then in the future the defenders should not even be nominated for this award.

Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina national team)

Lionel Messi is fifth on the list of contenders for the best player of the year award. The Argentine's chances are extremely small, but they are still there.

• Golden Boot 2017/18
• Championship, Cup, Spanish Super Cup
• Season stats: 54 games, 45 goals, 18 assists.

Lionel Messi at 31 years old remains the most dear footballer the world. Last season, Messi made a good base for himself to get the Ballon d'Or again. Argentinian won all trophies in Spanish football and won the Golden Boot, becoming the top scorer during football year... However, everything was blurred by the 2018 World Cup, where the Argentine national team flew to the 1/8 finals, losing to the future triumphant France.

We bring to your attention the quotes of the bookmakers for the Golden Ball 2018:

So, among the main favorites to win the Golden Ball 2018 are mainly the French, but the main thing is Croat Luka Modric, who was defeated by them in the final. The number of applicants for the award will gradually decrease, now there are 30 of them, and closer to winter there will be three. Be that as it may, already on December 3 we will know the name of the new owner of the Ballon d'Or.

Special bets on golden ball 2018 from. The highest award for football players is at stake, so we will consider the main contenders for this award. Bookmakers have already prepared a list of players for the golden ball in 2018. According to experts, Cristiano Ronaldo should become the owner, and they are also considering the candidacy of Mohammed Salah.

When is the 2018 Golden Ball award?

Many already know when the presentation of the Golden Ball 2018 award is in early December, but no one knows what date. The exact date of delivery is 6 december 2018, the time at which the award will be presented is also known, 22:00 Moscow time. Last year, the award was presented at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. This time the place of delivery may change.

In 2017, he received an award - his fifth golden ball.

Who will receive the 2018 Golden Ball?

Most people know who received the golden ball in previous years, so below we will analyze the contenders for 2018. The bookmakers put Cristiano Ronaldo in the first place, Lionel Messi in the second, and the Egyptian star Mohammed Salah in the third.

List of contenders for the Golden Ball 2018 with odds:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo - 2.20;
2. Lionel Messi - 3;
3. Mohammed Salah - 8;
4. Neymar - 12;
5. Kevin De Bruyne - 12;
6. Harry Kane - 29;
7. Luis Suarez - 34;
8. Antoine Griezmann - 34;
9. Kiliyan Mbappe-Lottin - 41;
10. Sergio Aguero - 41;
11. Eden Hazard - 41;
12. David de Gea - 51;
13. Gareth Bale - 51
14. Gabriel Juzus - 51;
15. Philippe Coutinho - 51;
16. Edison Cavani - 67.

Not all applicants are on this list, so if you want to see all the players for this award, then go here. As always, no one doubts the Portuguese wizard, and his first place is a pattern.

Golden Ball Prediction 2018: this year I would like to highlight the game of a football player from Egypt. Mohammed Salah has excellent football and has earned the Premier League Player of the Year nomination on several occasions. In this regard, we recommend making a long-term bet on the fact that Egyptian will receive a golden ball 2018 at odds 8. Who do you see with the award?

France Football has named the top 30 players who are competing for the Ballon d'Or. Sokker.ru talks about the chances of the main applicants and does not forget about the extras.

Of course, there cannot be thirty applicants for the Ballon d'Or. 80% of the names presented in the list are extras, people whose merits to football in 2018 are marked by the very fact of being included in the number of thirty nominees. Nevertheless, the intrigue this time is acute, unlike in previous years. It seems that there is a favorite (this is not Messi and not Ronaldo, oddly enough), but the prevailing opinion that the Golden Ball from among the world champions can play a decisive role, given the registration of France Football magazine.

0 out of 100. Hugo Lloris (France, Tottenham). Not every world champion should open his mouth at the Ballon d'Or, and there are doubts about Lloris even about being included in the top 30. Still, Hugo - main goalkeeper The Premier League blunders, and in the final of the World Cup could not resist, even if this did not affect the outcome of the confrontation between France and Croatia.

0 out of 100. Sergio Aguero (Argentina, Manchester City). The Argentine striker scored 21 goals in the Premier League and became the champion of England for the third time in his career, success in international level not so impressive: Sergio's teams were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup.

0 out of 100. Jan Oblak (Slovenia, Atlético). Europa League winner, one of the best goalkeepers modern football will not receive the Ballon d'Or, don't even hope.

0 out of 100. Karim Benzema (France, Real Madrid). But Karim Benzema, along with Rafael Varan, could become the lucky one who won both the Champions League and the World Championship in a year. This would increase the chances of a missed striker. They are now zero.

0 out of 100. Edinson Cavani (Uruguay, PSG). Cavani scored thoroughbred goals in the World Cup, but the Uruguayans were stopped by future champions in the League Champions PSG again swallowed his ambitions, few people are interested.

0 out of 100. Alisson (Brazil, Roma / Liverpool). A strong goalkeeper, a Champions League semi-finalist with Roma, and Liverpool's new hope for reliability on the last frontier after the Mignolet and Carius era, but Alisson is far from the Ballon d'Or.

0 out of 100. Diego Godin (Uruguay, Atlético). Godin is a great defender, but the role itself suggests that he is not a hero for the front page, all the more grandiose team successes, unlike colleagues Ramos and Varan, he cannot boast. The Europa League is not a top-ranked tournament after all.

0 out of 100. Sergio Ramos (Spain, Real Madrid). However, Ramos, who celebrated another success with Real Madrid in the Champions League, has exactly the same chances, especially since his Spain frankly failed at the World Cup.

0 out of 100. Isco (Spain, Real Madrid). Undoubtedly, Isco added in 2018, changed his mind about leaving Real Madrid and claims to be the main creative link in both the club and the national team. However, the beautiful play of the technical Spaniard does not cancel the debate about his effectiveness, so not this time, dear Francisco.

0 out of 100. Roberto Firmino (Brazil, Liverpool). One of the members of the attacking trio "Liverpool" deserved to be included in the top thirty best footballers 2018, but even getting into the top three / five is difficult to claim, not to mention the main prize.

0 out of 100. Sadio Mane (Senegal, Liverpool). The same words can be forwarded to Sadio Mane, who was enchanting with Liverpool, along with Firmino and Salah.

0 out of 100. Luis Suarez (Uruguay, Barcelona). There are a lot of cool football players, in this list every name is a star, but there is only one Golden Ball, this must be clearly understood.

0 out of 100. Neymar (Brazil, PSG). During the vote for FIFA Player of the Year, no coach or captain of the national team included Neymar in their top three. Let the "Golden Ball" be presented in Paris, where the Brazilian is performing, the PSG striker is very far from this trophy.

0 out of 100. Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium, Manchester City). The winner of the Premier League and the bronze medalist of the World Championship, De Bruyne had a powerful season in his career, but there are heroes who are objectively ranked higher.

0 out of 100. Thibaut Courtois (Belgium, Chelsea / Real Madrid). Status the best goalkeeper The 2018 World Cup and the move to Real Madrid should not be misleading: Courtois's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or are zero point, zero tenths.

0 out of 100. Ivan Rakitic (Croatia, Barcelona). Rakitic won trophies with Barcelona and the silver medal of the World Championship, but was not a protagonist in any of his teams.

0 out of 100. Mario Mandzukic (Croatia, Juventus). Mario is a fighter, and a bully when needed, and always an extremely useful player, but individual rewards are not for him.

0 out of 100. Harry Kane (England, Tottenham). Yes, the top scorer of the World Cup, but if you remember the quality of opponents (Panama and Tunisia) and goals scored (penalties, set pieces and ricochet), nominating Harry as one of the main competitors for the Ballon d'Or would be at least strange.

0 out of 100. Paul Pogba (France, Manchester United). Paul played great at the World Cup, but France showed the world brighter players, moreover, at the club level, Pogba is far from always good.

0 out of 100. Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona). Let's be ruthless - Messi has no chance of winning the Ballon d'Or this year.

1 out of 100. Marcelo (Brazil, Real Madrid). One chance in a hundred - purely out of respect for the exploits of Marcelo in the later stages of the Champions League. Brazilian made large contribution v new victory"Real" and the retention of "eared".

1 out of 100. Gareth Bale (Wales, Real Madrid). I will also single out Gareth from among the candidates with zero chances for his outstanding performance in the Champions League final, where the Welshman scored two goals. It is clear that this is not quite enough to win the Ballon d'Or.

1 out of 100. Ngolo Kante (France, Chelsea). I'd like to reward this modest guy with a childish smile with at least a small chance. The shadow hero and the real mainstay of the French national team.

1 out of 100. Eden Hazard (Belgium, Chelsea). The best dribbler of the world championship and the brightest footballer of the start of the European season. To be in the first line of contenders for the Ballon d'Or, Azar needs big team victories and impressive personal statistics. Perhaps, .

2 out of 100. Rafael Varane (France, Real Madrid). The only person who won both the Champions League and the World Cup in 2018. Of course, he will not get the Golden Ball.

4 out of 100. Mohamed Salah (Egypt, Liverpool). Salah had an outstanding season for Liverpool, scored a bunch of goals in the Premier League and the Champions League, but did not reach the main awards, and lost three out of three matches with his national team in the World Cup. Undoubtedly, one of the most successful footballers coming to the end of the year, but there are a number of footballers at once, whose achievements are more significant.

18 out of 100. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid / Juventus). I see four main contenders for the Ballon d'Or, Cristiano Ronaldo among them last season with Real Madrid, but if the Portuguese did not become FIFA's Player of the Year, then the chances for the Ballon d'Or are even less, I think the French should here quoted higher.

21 out of 100. Antoine Griezmann (France, Atlético). Winner and best player of the Europa League, world champion who participated in most of the goals of the French national team in the tournament. Griezmann is closer to the Ballon d'Or than ever, although he is not alone.

21 out of 100. Kilian Mbappé (France, PSG). Mbappe performed very brightly at the 2018 World Cup, his acceleration at decisive moments gave France victories, the young striker has already earned comparisons with Pele and the "Phenomenon" Ronaldo.

30 out of 100. Luka Modric (Croatia, Real Madrid). Still, Modric is the favorite. The problem for the French is that their successes are distributed among several key players, and Luca is the only one, you could see how he stood out in the Croatian national team, how he dragged his country to the World Cup final. Modric became the best player in the 2018 World Cup, the best player in the European season and the FIFA Player of the Year, and he also has a trump card in the form of winning the Champions League.

Sportbox.ru - about the main contenders for the title of the best player in the world in 2018. It will not be so easy to choose the most worthy one.

(Real Madrid / Juventus)

The Portuguese has already received five similar awards, and he received two of them in 2016 and 2017. This was largely due to the overwhelming success of Real Madrid in the international arena, as well as the victory of the Portuguese national team at the last European Championship. Actually, these results deprived the jury of serious problems in determining the best player in the world - neither Lionel Messi, nor Neymar, nor other players could boast of such achievements.

Ronaldo's chances are still very strong this time around, thanks to Real's third consecutive Champions League success. Do not forget that the Portuguese with 15 goals became the top scorer of the tournament and gave a record streak of ten matches! The not very successful performance of the Portuguese national team at the 2018 World Cup blurred the impression, but there can be no complaints about the striker himself, who scored four goals in Russia. If Ronaldo manages to immediately adapt to the game of Juventus and demonstrate his usual level of play in the fall, then hardly anyone will prevent him from taking the sixth Golden Ball.

(Barcelona)

The forward received the last of his five awards in 2015, when Barcelona won the Champions League and Argentina finished second in the America's Cup. Messi expectedly received almost twice as many votes as Ronaldo, but then there was a serious recession. In 2016, the Portuguese was ahead by 8 percent of the vote, and a year later - by 24 percent, demonstrating total superiority. There is nothing to be surprised at here, because Barcelona, ​​like the Argentine national team, did not please us with outstanding results.

2018 from this point of view turned out to be even worse for Messi. Yes, the Catalans won the championship and the Spanish Cup, but this is clearly not enough for the Ballon d'Or. In European competitions, blue garnet success again did not win, and a lot has already been said about the mess that reigned in the Argentine camp at the 2018 World Cup. The same Ronaldo dropped out of the tournament on the same day as Messi, but his game left a much more vivid impression. In favor of the Barcelona striker, only the record fifth Golden Boot, which is awarded top scorer European championship (34 goals, 68 points). But it will be very strange if this is enough to call the Argentinean the best in the world.

("Real")

The 32-year-old Croat's relationship with the Ballon d'Or is somewhat reminiscent of the situation with Andres Iniesta. The Spaniard, according to many, at one time deserved at least one such award, but he did not manage to get out of the shadow of Ronaldo and Messi even after the victorious goal against Holland at the 2010 World Cup. So Modric made no less contribution to the three successive victories of Real Madrid in the Champions League, and he was never even in the top three. For example, the season before last he played all but one of the playoffs, and scored an assist in the decisive meeting with Juventus (4: 1), but still did not qualify for the award.

Another thing is that never before had an experienced midfielder had so many reasons to claim the Golden Ball. In addition to the already traditional victory in the Champions League, the Croatian has silver medals for the 2018 World Cup, which, perhaps, outweigh the club successes. Especially considering the title of the best player in the tournament, although not everyone agreed with the choice of the FIFA technical committee. In addition, Modric, unlike Ronaldo, will still have time to win the Club World Championship by the end of the year - a trifle, but still an advantage in such situations. So the chances of the midfielder becoming the first Croatian winner of the Ballon d'Or are very high.

(Atlético)

According to many, the best player in the World Championship was not supposed to be Modric, but Griezmann, who looked gorgeous on the Russian fields. It's not just the title - the Atlético forward was the most productive player in the tournament, scoring 3 goals and giving 4 assists. And by individual achievements, and in terms of team success, the Frenchman earned the title of the main star of the 2018 World Cup, which means the Golden Ball for the whole of 2018. Although it should be noted that after the victory of Fabio Cannavaro in 2006, the prize was never awarded to the newly minted world champions.

At the club level, Griezmann's performance is less deserving of the Ballon d'Or. In the Champions League, Atlético became the main loser, unable to overcome even group stage... Silver medals Examples and a victory in the Europa League are not bad achievements, if you do not compare them with the achievements of other contenders. It is clear that the same Ronaldo from this point of view looks preferable, not to mention his performance. Let's see if the jury will have enough victory for Griezmann at the World Cup to give him the Ballon d'Or.

("PSG")

It seems like we have known for a couple of years now the scale of talent this young Frenchman got. But he never ceases to amaze. The 19-year-old striker looked gorgeous at the World Cup, becoming one of the leaders of the French national team. Mbappe scored four goals, including a double with Argentina (4: 3), which has not been possible for any player under 20 since the days of Pele. Do not forget about the goal against Croatia (4: 2) in decisive match, which allowed the organizers to give him the title of the best young player World Cup 2018. But he could well qualify for the "Golden Ball" of the tournament.

But it will be difficult for him to become the best in the world at the end of the year because of his club affiliation. The successes of PSG in the domestic arena are not impressive to anyone, and in the international arena it has not achieved significant success for a very long time. If you look at the three contenders for the Ballon d'Or since 1991, you will find only one representative of the Parisians - Neymar (2017). And then the Brazilian got there rather for services to "Barça", whose colors he defended six months earlier. In addition, the jury may consider that Mbappe's time will surely come, and getting into the final list will already be a success for him.

("Real")

Raphael Varane and James Milner are fighting for the ball / Photo: Laurence Griffiths / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

It is unlikely that when thinking about applicants for the "Golden Ball" this surname pops up. Meanwhile, the Frenchman has the best chances of winning the prestigious award on paper, as no other footballer has won both of the major tournaments of 2018 - the Champions League and the 2018 World Cup. Both at Real Madrid and in the French national team, Varane played a key role and made a significant contribution to the success. In the main European Cup he has 11 matches, including all 90 minutes with Liverpool (3-1) in the final. And at the tournament in Russia, he was never replaced in seven games and scored a goal against Uruguay (2: 0) in the quarterfinals.

Confused only by the fact that it is customary to hand the Golden Ball to the attackers or, at best, midfielders. Throughout history, only two defenders have received this award - Lothar Matthäus (1991) and Fabio Cannavaro (2006). But in both cases, the laureates did not have such fierce competition as Varan, in the person of Ronaldo, Messi and all the other stars, who are more perceived as best players the world. Although suddenly FIFA decides to surprise the public and interrupt the hegemony of the Portuguese and Argentine with an unexpected, but well-deserved candidacy.

Annually on the last Saturday of March an environmental campaign is being held all over the world " Earth Hour"organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The meaning of the action is in voluntary refusal from the consumption of electrical energy for one hour... Thus, society realizes the importance of taking measures to reduce the negative impact of human activity on the surrounding nature.

This great idea was first realized in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Then the action was attended by about two million residents of the metropolis, and energy savings amounted to about 10%.

Inspired by the example, more and more cities began to join the "Earth Hour" campaign every year. It is expected that in 2020, residents of more than 7 thousand settlements of our planet (more than 2 billion people) will take part in a voluntary power outage for 1 hour. Among the countries participating in the action, of course, there is also Russia.

What date and what time is the Earth Hour 2020 promotion:

As we wrote above, the event is held annually on the last Saturday of March except for those years when the last Saturday in March precedes Easter.

This year, Earth Hour is scheduled for Saturday March 28, 2020... Promotion starts at 20:30 local time and will last for an hour, until 21:30.

That is, the action Earth Hour 2020 - on what date and at what time:
* Date - March 28, 2020
* from 20:30 to 21:30 local time.