The 2018 Ballon d'Or is one of the most prestigious football awards that will be presented to the best player on the planet at the end of 2018. Dozens of stars of the first magnitude apply for the award, such as Mohammed Salah, Antoine Griezmann, Manuel Neuer, Paul Pogba and many others. Each of them is certainly worthy of the highest praise. However, there is only one prize. Therefore, it will go to the best!

When will the presentation of the Golden Ball 2018 take place?

On Monday 24 September, the FIFA Player of the Year award was presented in London. There were three applicants - Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohammed Salah.

Who won the Ballon d'Or 2018 - Luka Modric interrupted the hegemony of Messi and Ronaldo

For the first time in the past 11 years, there were no winners of the five Ballon d'Or - Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi at the awards ceremony.

The Portuguese refused to travel to London due to his busy tournament schedule. new team- on Sunday, September 23, Juventus played with Frosinone, and on Wednesday, September 26, he will play with Bologna.

The Argentinian refused to go for personal reasons - Leo is not on the list of contenders for the title of the best player of the year, but he could win a prize for best goal years, but here, however, the competition will be higher.

List of contenders for the title of the best goal of the year:

- Garrett Bale (Real Madrid);
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid);
- Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (AEK);
- Georgian de Arrascaeta (Cruzeiro);
- Riley McGree (Newcastle Jets)
- Mohammed Salah (Liverpool);
- Denis Cheryshev (Russian national team);
- Leo Messi (Argentina national team);
- Benjamin Pavar (French national team);
- Ricardo Quaresma (Portugal national team).

FIFA Awards 2018

Player of the Year (Modric, Ronaldo, Salah) - Luka Modric

Coach of the Year (Zidane, Deschamps, Dalich) - Didier Deschamps

Goalkeeper of the Year - Thibaut Courtois

Puskas Prize (best goal) - Mohammed Salah for a goal against Everton.

Fan Award- national team fans Peru.

Fair Play Award - Erzurumspor Lennart Tee(Turkish club BB) for donating blood for a patient with leukemia.

The best coach v women's football became the mentor of Lyon Reynald Pedros.

Best Female Player of the Year - Martha(Orlando Pride, Brazil).

FIFA Best Football Team of the Year

Goalkeeper: David de Gea

Defenders: Dani Alves, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo

Midfielders: Modric, Kante, Hazar

Forwards: Mbappe, Ronaldo, Messi.

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 goals in 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 striker "Barcelona" speaks only the record fifth "Golden Boot", which is awarded to the top scorer of the 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 playoff matches in full, and scored an assist in decisive meeting with Juventus (4: 1), but still did not make it to the list of candidates 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 the decisive match, which allowed the organizers to give him the title of 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 success of PSG in the domestic arena is 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.

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 Golden Ball 2018 award will be presented 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 Mohammed Salah in the third.

List of contenders for the Golden Ball 2018 with odds:

Cristiano Ronaldo - 2.20;
Lionel Messi - 3;
Mohammed Salah - 8;
Neymar - 12;
Kevin De Bruyne - 12;
Harry Kane - 29;
Luis Suarez - 34;
Antoine Griezmann - 34;
Kiliyan Mbappe-Lottin - 41;
Sergio Aguero - 41;
Eden Hazard - 41;
David de Gea - 51;
Gareth Bale - 51;
Gabriel Juzus - 51;
Philippe Coutinho - 51;
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 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 as for Lloris, there are doubts 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). The winner of the Europa League, one of the best goalkeepers of 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 his 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, Isko 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 Liverpool's attacking trio deserved to be included in the top thirty players of 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 must 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 he 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, top scorer world championship, but if you remember the quality of the 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. Raphael 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 FIFA Player of the Year, and he also has a trump card in the form of winning the Champions League.

The 2018 Ballon d'Or is a prestigious football award that will be presented to the best player on the planet in December 2018. Dozens of stars of the first magnitude apply for ZM: Mohammed Salah, Antoine Griezmann, Manuel Neuer, Paul Pogba and many others. Each of them deserves the highest praise. However, there is only one prize. Therefore, it will go to the best of the best!

The ball was awarded in 2019 to Luka Modric

When will the presentation of the Golden Ball 2018 take place?

One of the most prestigious awards in the world of football will be presented at the end of 2018. According to unconfirmed reports, the owner of the Ballon d'Or will be announced on December 6th. Last time the trophy found its owner on December 7, 2017.

The Ballon d'Or 2018 ceremony will probably take place in France. Last year, the best football player in the world was awarded in the capital of the Fifth Republic.

Challengers for the Ballon d'Or 2018

The shortlist of trophy contenders will include the best players of 2018 who have achieved notable successes in the club field and at the level of national teams. The list of potential owners of ZM is replete with the most big names... So far, experts give preference to the following stars:

Cristiano Ronaldo;
Lionel Messi;
Mohammed Salah;
Neymar;
Kevin De Bruyne;
Paul Pogba;
Antoine Griezmann;
Manuel Neuer;
Sergio Aguero;
David de Gea.

Until 2016, 23 names were on the final shortlist. The best footballer was chosen by coaches and captains of national teams, as well as journalists. According to the new rules, the name of the lucky one is determined exclusively by sports journalists. At the same time, the shortlist increased immediately to 30 persons.

Who will receive the Golden Ball 2018

The list of potential owners of the trophy is large. Let's consider in detail all the applicants for the award.

Cristiano Ronaldo

The current winner of the prize. The great Portuguese has won a football award more than once. Perhaps in 2018, Ronaldo will get the Ballon d'Or 2018 again.

This will not be easy. The Portuguese home club Real Madrid show weak football in the national championship. But the "creamy" made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League. Victory, or at least participation in the final, will dramatically increase the chances of the Los Galácticos striker on the ZM!

Lionel Messi

The Barcelona striker is a living football miracle. Throughout recent years Messi and Ronaldo regularly contested the title best football player... The confrontation between the two legends continues in 2018.

The Barcelona star will not be able to excel in the Champions League. "Blue Garnet" sensationally took off from the league championship race, losing in the return quarterfinal match, it would seem, already defeated "Roma". But the native club of the Argentinean won the example almost ahead of schedule. Messi played an important role in this success.

And on the nose, the World Cup, where, albeit with a creak, Argentina broke through. To win the Ballon d'Or 2018, Messi needs to show top-class football in Russia in the summer of 2018!

Neymar

After Neymar left Barça, fans of the Brazilian worried about his career at PSG. But the South American is not lost in the new club. He shows great football, consistently scoring for the Parisian team. Magrelo has already managed to be known as the unofficial leader of PSG. In the summer, the Brazilian will come to Russia with his national team to loudly declare himself at the World Cup!

Antoine Griezmann

Little French is not the first season star big football... He has already been honored with the title of the best football player of the European Championship in 2016. Surely the Atlético striker will also want to put the Golden Ball on his shelf. To achieve this, he needs to prove himself great in the Europa League and at the 2018 World Cup!

Manuel Neuer

He is called the second Yashin. The stern German takes compliments for granted. But he does not forget to selflessly defend the gates of his native Bavaria.

The legendary Buffon really wanted to get the ZM. So far, only the great Lev Yashin has succeeded. Perhaps Neuer will be more fortunate. And the goalkeeper will again become the owner of the Ballon d'Or 2018 for the first time in the last 50 years!

English landing

The Premier League is one of the strongest national championships. Many football talents play in Foggy Albion.

Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne- two superstars from Manchester City. Kevin De Bruyne has received special rave reviews. The fate of the great Zidane is prophesied to the Belgian.

David de Gea and Paul Pogba- Gatekeeper and striker for Manchester United. The legendary Manchester United is building a "dream team". The Spanish goalkeeper and the French goalscorer have key roles in the team. Perhaps they will prove themselves so good that they will qualify for the Ballon d'Or 2018!

Mohammed Salah deserves special mention. The Liverpool striker makes one believe that Arabs can play football too. And not just play - but shine on the best fields in Europe!