FIFA Golden

Barcelona legend Xavi believes Lionel Messi’s fifth position for the 2018 Ballon d’Or seems unfair, given the achievements of the Argentine through the calendar year. The 31-year-old won a domestic double with Barcelona last term after securing the La Liga and Copa del Rey crown but that was not sufficient to propel him to the podium at the least.

Speaking to reporters, Xavi said that Messi has been unfairly treated for the Ballon d’Or after finishing outside the top three for the first time in over a decade, he said:"In my opinion, it's not my fair. He is the best player that I've seen ever. I would give him every year for Ballon d'Or, but I don't give this Ballon d'Or. Modric is all right and I'm happy for him. But honestly, Messi is the best."

Portugal head coach Fernando Santos has backed Cristiano Ronaldo to win yet another Ballon d’Or title this year despite enduring a tough run with the national team. The Juventus star is currently on a self-imposed exile from international duty and he is not expected to return until the turn of the year.

Amidst this, there have been plenty of off-field issues affecting the former Real Madrid man but this has not hampered his playing form with nine goals and five assists already contributed for the Bianconeri. Speaking to reporters, Santos admitted that no team would want to leave a Ronaldo aside from the country’s squad and his absence does not reduce his importance.

Juventus manager Max Allegri has backed Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d’Or title for the sixth occasion in his career. The Portuguese tactician has already won back-to-back Ballon d’Or crowns and Allegri feels the forward deserves a third successive title after his exploits for club and country last season.

Speaking on the club’s official website, Allegri said that he has no doubts regarding Ronaldo’s credentials for the prestigious accolade, though many have backed Luka Modric for the award this term, he quipped: “Cristiano deserves to win the Ballon d'Or for everything he's done - the goals he's scored, the trophies he's won and what he's doing this season too. He's world-class. He's taken us to another level because he's brought international experience and he's raised everyone's belief.”

Atletico Madrid superstar Antoine Griezmann believes a Frenchman should win the Ballon d’Or this time around given Les Bleus were crowned the world champions. France secured their second World Cup crown over the summer after they managed to outclass Zlatko Dalic’s Croatia by a comfortable 4-2 scoreline in the final.

Speaking to France Football, Griezmann feels one of his countrymen should be awarded with the Ballon d’Or this year, given they were the best team at the global tournament in Russia. He added that he would personally love to win the Ballon d’Or to join the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the hall of fame.

Having played as forward for the Argentina national side alongside Lionel Messi, and for Manchester United alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez has the experience of playing close to both of the main contenders for the FIFA Ballon D’Or (for about the last 10 years!) But who does he think is better?

Whilst in the end this year the plaudit went to Luka Modric (the first time neither Messi or Ronaldo have won it since 2009), pushing Ronaldo into second place, whilst Messi didn’t make the podium somehow. This was on the back of a Champions League winning campaign for Modric with Real Madrid, notable ex-pros calling for him to win, and perhaps more importantly, a run all the way to the World Cup Final with Croatia.

France international Olivier Giroud has stressed that he does not give any importance to the FIFA Best Men’s award and he is only interested in the Ballon d’Or. He added that one of his compatriots or Luka Modric should win the individual gong this year, thus ending the dominance from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi over the past decade.

Speaking to Le Parisien, Giroud said: "It is very surprising, but, to be honest, I do not attach importance to this trophy. I'm only interested in the Ballon d'Or. "It must be a Frenchman or Modric [who wins the Ballon d'Or]. If I could vote, I know which of my partners I would choose, but I will not tell you."

France manager Didier Deschamps has highlighted Antoine Griezmann as one among the potential candidates who could compete for the Ballon d’Or crown. The Atletico Madrid star was one among the many standout performers for Les Bleus during the recent World Cup and Deschamps believes the marksman should come at least close to the prestigious accolade.

Speaking to L’Equipe, he said: “He's a potential candidate for the Ballon d'Or, yes, he deserves it. It's not just him, but he deserves it. The Ballon d'Or, that would be a very good thing.We've seen so many times, there are two who are still there... Come on, even three, you have Messi, Ronaldo with everything they represent in the world and what they do. Neymar too, even if he arrives behind.”

France international Raphael Varane has backed compatriot Kylian Mbappe to compete for the Ballon d’Or after standing out for the Les Bleus during the recent World Cup. The 19-year-old netted four goals over the course of the tournament including one in the 4-2 triumph over Croatia in the final.

As such, he has been earned plenty of praise from fans and pundits alike and Varane has now mentioned the teenager as a genuine contender for the Ballon d’Or accolade, he said:“If he does not win the next Ballon d'Or, we will tell him that it is not normal -- we will yell at him! Yes, Kylian is a more precocious talent than I was. His intelligence and maturity really left an impression -- his talent is monstrous. I have known some extra-terrestrial talents in my time, but I think that this is the first time that I have met a young alien! Everything moves quickly. When I speak tactics with him pre-match, I do not have time to finish my sentences -- he has already understood and assimilated it.”

Croatia international Dejan Lovren believes Luka Modric would have been vying for the Ballon d’Or title if he had come from one of Germany or Spain. The Real Madrid star has been a consistent performer for club and country over the years and he has already contributed a couple of goals for Croatia during the ongoing World Cup in Russia.

As such, his compatriot Lovren has praised his qualities and feels he would be in contention for the Ballon d’Or, had he come from a better-recognised country like Germany or Spain, he said: “Modric would probably be getting more attention than he is right now if he was a German or Spanish player. He would maybe even be a Ballon d’Or winner. But because we are a smaller country, he does get less attention than he deserves. We are all football lovers and we know Modric is an incredible player.”

Croatia legend Davor Suker claims that he would pick Luka Modric as the winner of the upcoming Ballon d'Or title. The Croatian midfielder has been in stunning form over the last 12 months and he was able to help Real Madrid win the Champions League for the third consecutive time. She may not have come up with a large number of goals, but the 31-year-old has been able to silently dictated the pace of the game and style of play. If the impact with Real Madrid may not have gone unnoticed due to the attention on Cristiano Ronaldo, Modric has been able to follow his exploits with his club into the national team.

After being ranked as one of the rank outsiders for the World Cup title, Croatia find themselves in the final of the World Cup 2018. They have been able to reach the finals for the first time in their history. Even the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were unable to help the respective national teams get success at the World Cup. After having witnessed such a remarkable contribution from Modric,Suker says that it is justifiable that Luka Modric should be crowned as the winner of the upcoming Ballon d’Or title, which has long been shared by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.