Login
Login

2018 Ballon d'Or

{{Short description|Annual association football award event in France}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}

{{Infobox award

| name = 2018 Ballon d'Or

| subheader =

| image =Luka Modric 2018.png

| alt =

| caption = 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Luka Modrić

| awarded_for =

| date = {{start date|2018|12|03|df=y}}

| location = Paris, France

| country = France

| presenter = France Football

| host =

| former name =

| preshow_host =

| acts =

| website = {{URL|https://www.francefootball.fr/ballon-d-or/|www.francefootball.fr}}

| runtime =

| award1_type = Ballon d'Or

| award1_winner= {{flagicon|CRO}} Luka Modrić
(1st award)

| award2_type = Ballon d'Or Féminin

| award2_winner= {{flagicon|NOR}} Ada Hegerberg (1st award)

| award3_type = Kopa Trophy

| award3_winner= {{flagicon|FRA}} Kylian Mbappé (1st award)

| previous = 2017

| main = Ballon d'Or

| next = 2019

}}

The 2018 Ballon d'Or was the 63rd annual award ceremony recognising the best footballer in the world for 2018. The winners were announced on 3 December 2018,{{Cite web|url=https://www.francefootball.fr/news/Le-classement-final-du-ballon-d-or-france-football-2018/964814|title=Le classement final du Ballon d'Or France Football 2018|website=France Football|language=en, fr-FR|access-date=3 December 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2018/dec/03/ballon-dor-2018-modric-messi-ronaldo-award-live |title = Ballon d'Or 2018: Luka Modric and Ada Hegerberg win awards – as it happened|date=3 December 2018|work=Guardian|access-date=4 December 2018}} and for the first time in its history, the Ballon d'Or Féminin and Kopa Trophy were awarded to the best female footballer and male under-21 footballer, respectively.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/oct/08/soccer-ballon-dor-football-ronaldo-messi-kane-salah-kirby-bronze-hazard-liverpool-chelsea-real|title=Ballon d'Or 2018: contenders for football's global honour revealed | Football|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=9 October 2018|date=8 October 2018|last1=Dobson|first1=Mark}} Luka Modrić, who was integral to Real Madrid's Champions League victory and Croatia's surprise journey to the 2018 FIFA World Cup final,{{Cite web |date=14 July 2018 |title=The Modric supremacy: why Croatia's talisman should win the Ballon d'Or {{!}} Barney Ronay |url=http://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jul/14/luka-modric-worlds-greatest-croatia-france-world-cup-final |access-date=2 May 2022 |website=the Guardian |language=en}} was awarded the Ballon d'Or. His win meant that it was the first time since Kaká in 2007 that a player other than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo won the award, ending the 10-year Messi–Ronaldo dominance.{{Cite web |title=Ballon d'Or: Luka Modric breaks Ronaldo, Messi dominance |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/03/sport/luka-modric-ada-hegerberg-fifa-ballon-dor-football-spt-intl/index.html |access-date=2 May 2022 |website=CNN}}

Ballon d'Or

The nominees for the awards were announced on 8 October 2018.

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

!Rank

!Player

!Club(s)

!Points

style="background-color: #FFF68F; font-weight: bold;"

| 1

|{{flagicon|CRO}} Luka Modrić

| {{fbaicon|ESP}} Real Madrid

| 753 {{cite web|url=https://www.marca.com/en/football/international-football/2018/12/03/5c05a85fe2704e067c8b45a4.html|title=The definitive Ballon d'Or list: Modric, 753 points...|website=Marca|access-date=3 December 2018|date=3 December 2018}}

2

|{{flagicon|POR}} Cristiano Ronaldo

| {{fbaicon|ESP}} Real Madrid
{{fbaicon|ITA}} Juventus

| 476

3

|{{flagicon|FRA}} Antoine Griezmann

| {{fbaicon|ESP}} Atlético Madrid

| 414

4

|{{flagicon|FRA}} Kylian Mbappé

|{{fbaicon|FRA}} Paris Saint-Germain

| 347

5

|{{flagicon|ARG}} Lionel Messi

| {{fbaicon|ESP}} Barcelona

| 280

6

|{{flagicon|EGY}} Mohamed Salah

| {{fbaicon|ENG}} Liverpool

| 188

7

|{{flagicon|FRA}} Raphaël Varane

| {{fbaicon|ESP}} Real Madrid

| 121

8

|{{flagicon|BEL}} Eden Hazard

| {{fbaicon|ENG}} Chelsea

| 119

9

|{{flagicon|BEL}} Kevin De Bruyne

| {{fbaicon|ENG}} Manchester City

| 29

10

|{{flagicon|ENG}} Harry Kane

|{{fbaicon|ENG}} Tottenham Hotspur

| 25

11

|{{flagicon|FRA}} N'Golo Kanté

|{{fbaicon|ENG}} Chelsea

| 24

12

|{{flagicon|BRA}} Neymar

| {{fbaicon|FRA}} Paris Saint-Germain

| 19

13

|{{flagicon|URU}} Luis Suárez

|{{fbaicon|ESP}} Barcelona

| 17

14

|{{flagicon|BEL}} Thibaut Courtois

|{{fbaicon|ENG}} Chelsea
{{fbaicon|ESP}} Real Madrid

| 12

15

|{{flagicon|FRA}} Paul Pogba

|{{fbaicon|ENG}} Manchester United

| 9

16

|{{flagicon|ARG}} Sergio Agüero

|{{fbaicon|ENG}} Manchester City

| 7

rowspan="2" | 17

|{{flagicon|WAL}} Gareth Bale

|{{fbaicon|ESP}} Real Madrid

| 6

{{flagicon|FRA}} Karim Benzema

|{{fbaicon|ESP}} Real Madrid

| 6

rowspan="3" | 19

|{{flagicon|BRA}} Roberto Firmino

|{{fbaicon|ENG}} Liverpool

| 4

{{flagicon|CRO}} Ivan Rakitić

|{{fbaicon|ESP}} Barcelona

| 4

{{flagicon|ESP}} Sergio Ramos

|{{fbaicon|ESP}} Real Madrid

| 4

rowspan="3" | 22

|{{flagicon|URU}} Edinson Cavani

|{{fbaicon|FRA}} Paris Saint-Germain

| 3

{{flagicon|SEN}} Sadio Mané

|{{fbaicon|ENG}} Liverpool

| 3

{{flagicon|BRA}} Marcelo

|{{fbaicon|ESP}} Real Madrid

| 3

rowspan="3" | 25

|{{flagicon|BRA}} Alisson

|{{fbaicon|ITA}} Roma
{{fbaicon|ENG}} Liverpool

| 2

{{flagicon|CRO}} Mario Mandžukić

|{{fbaicon|ITA}} Juventus

| 2

{{flagicon|SVN}} Jan Oblak

|{{fbaicon|ESP}} Atlético Madrid

| 2

28

|{{flagicon|URU}} Diego Godín

|{{fbaicon|ESP}} Atlético Madrid

| 1

rowspan="2" | 29

|{{flagicon|ESP}} Isco

|{{fbaicon|ESP}} Real Madrid

| 0

{{flagicon|FRA}} Hugo Lloris

|{{fbaicon|ENG}} Tottenham Hotspur

| 0

Ballon d'Or Féminin

{{main|Ballon d'Or Féminin}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

!Rank

!Player

!Club(s)

!Points

style="background-color: #FFF68F; font-weight: bold;"

|1

| {{flagicon|NOR}} Ada Hegerberg

|{{fbaicon|FRA}} Lyon

|136[https://www.si.com/soccer/2018/12/03/ballon-dor-2018-results-winners-kopa-womens-modric-ronaldo Ballon D'Or 2018 Results: Modric, Hegerberg Win; Mbappe Takes Kopa Trophy]

2

|{{flagicon|DNK}} Pernille Harder

|{{fbaicon|GER}} VfL Wolfsburg

|130

3

|{{flagicon|GER}} Dzsenifer Marozsán

| {{fbaicon|FRA}} Lyon

|86

4

|{{flagicon|BRA}} Marta

|{{fbaicon|USA}} Orlando Pride

| 77

5

|{{flagicon|AUS}} Sam Kerr

|{{fbaicon|USA}} Chicago Red Stars
{{fbaicon|AUS}} Perth Glory

| 61

6

|{{flagicon|ENG}} Lucy Bronze

| {{fbaicon|FRA}} Lyon

| 51

rowspan="2" | 7

| {{flagicon|FRA}} Amandine Henry

|{{fbaicon|FRA}} Lyon

| 34

{{flagicon|FRA}} Wendie Renard

| {{fbaicon|FRA}} Lyon

| 34

9

|{{flagicon|USA}} Megan Rapinoe

| {{fbaicon|USA}} Seattle Reign

| 30

10

|{{flagicon|USA}} Lindsey Horan

|{{fbaicon|USA}} Portland Thorns

| 28

11

|{{flagicon|NED}} Lieke Martens

|{{fbaicon|ESP}} Barcelona

| 26

12

| {{flagicon|JPN}} Saki Kumagai

| {{fbaicon|FRA}} Lyon

| 25

13

|{{flagicon|FRA}} Amel Majri

| {{fbaicon|FRA}} Lyon

| 9

14

| {{flagicon|ENG}} Fran Kirby

|{{fbaicon|ENG}} Chelsea

| 5

15

|{{flagicon|CAN}} Christine Sinclair

|{{fbaicon|USA}} Portland Thorns

| 4

Kopa Trophy

{{main|Kopa Trophy}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

!Rank

!Player

!Club(s)

!Points

style="background-color: #FFF68F; font-weight: bold;"

|1

|{{flagicon|FRA}} Kylian Mbappé

|{{flagicon|FRA}} Paris Saint-Germain

|110

2

|{{flagicon|USA}} Christian Pulisic

|{{flagicon|GER}} Borussia Dortmund

|31

3

|{{flagicon|NED}} Justin Kluivert

|{{flagicon|NED}} Ajax
{{flagicon|ITA}} Roma

|18

rowspan="2" | 4

|{{flagicon|BRA}} Rodrygo

| {{flagicon|BRA}} Santos

|12

{{flagicon|ITA}} Gianluigi Donnarumma

|{{flagicon|ITA}} Milan

|12

6

|{{flagicon|ENG}} Trent Alexander-Arnold

|{{flagicon|ENG}} Liverpool

|6

7

|{{flagicon|ITA}} Patrick Cutrone

|{{flagicon|ITA}} Milan

|5

8

|{{flagicon|ALG}} Houssem Aouar

| {{flagicon|FRA}} Lyon

|4

rowspan="2" | 9

|{{flagicon|JPN}} Ritsu Doan

|{{flagicon|NED}} Groningen

|0

{{flagicon|MLI}} Amadou Haidara

|{{flagicon|AUT}} Red Bull Salzburg

|0

Controversy

Cristiano Ronaldo was widely expected to win the 2018 Ballon d’Or following another successful season with Real Madrid, including a third consecutive UEFA Champions League title.{{Cite web|url=https://www.francefootball.fr/news/Le-classement-final-du-ballon-d-or-france-football-2018/964814|title=Le classement final du Ballon d'Or France Football 2018|website=France Football|language=fr-FR|access-date=3 December 2018}} However, in the months preceding the award, he faced renewed rape allegations dating back to 2009 when a Las Vegas police investigation was reopened, generating significant media attention.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/oct/02/cristiano-ronaldo-rape-allegation-police-investigation|title=Cristiano Ronaldo rape allegation: police reopen investigation|publisher=The Guardian|date=2 October 2018|access-date=26 April 2025}} Although he denied the accusations,{{Cite news|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2018/10/3/cristiano-ronaldo-denies-rape-accusations-on-social-media|title=Cristiano Ronaldo denies rape accusations on social media|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=3 October 2018|access-date=26 April 2025}} and prosecutors ultimately decided not to pursue criminal charges,{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jul/22/cristiano-ronaldo-rape-allegations-no-criminal-charges-las-vegas|title=Cristiano Ronaldo will not face criminal charges over rape allegations|publisher=The Guardian|date=22 July 2019|access-date=26 April 2025}} the controversy adversely affected his public image. EA Sports removed his image from promotional materials for the FIFA 19 video game,{{Cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37562575/ronaldo-de-emphasized-ea-sports-website-juventus-stock-drops|title=Ronaldo de-emphasized on EA Sports’ website; Juventus stock drops|publisher=ESPN|date=5 October 2018|access-date=26 April 2025}} while sponsors such as Nike publicly stated they were “deeply concerned,”{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/oct/04/cristiano-ronaldo-left-out-portugal-squad|title=Nike ‘deeply concerned’ by ‘disturbing’ Ronaldo rape claims|publisher=The Guardian|date=4 October 2018|access-date=26 April 2025}} and DAZN indicated it was monitoring the situation closely.{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news/cristiano-ronaldo-rape-allegations-latest-las-vegas-hotel-police-investigation-kathryn-mayorga-real-madrid-juventus-a8582761.html|title=Cristiano Ronaldo rape allegations: what we know, what we don’t|publisher=The Independent|date=2 October 2018|access-date=26 April 2025}} Analysts, football fans and commentators have suggested that these developments, combined with a broader desire to recognise players outside of the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry, may have influenced the voting process and ultimately contributed to Luka Modrić’s victory.

References

{{reflist}}

{{Ballon d'Or recipients}}

{{Ballon d'Or Féminin recipients}}

{{Kopa Trophy}}

2018

Category:2018 in association football

Category:2018 sports awards

Category:2018 in Paris