Ballon d'Or Power Ranking: October 2018

 

And just like that, September has come and gone. The race for the Ballon d'Or is heating up and this year, after a really long time, we have players other than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo fighting seriously for the title.
Last month's ranking caused a bit of a stir among the fans it was only the 3rd time that Ronaldo or Messi were not on top of the list. Modric was on top of the list and that echoed into the national captains and coaches' ears as he was unanimously voted as the best player in the world.

Luka Modric bagged The Best FIFA Men's Player Award and made it his thrid big individual award is 2 months. The Croatian has been brilliant throughout the year but does he have it in him to win the Ballon d'Or as well?
Messi and Cristiano are yet to make a big impact in their respective leagues although their clubs are on top of the table. The duo has been winning the prestigious award for the last 10 seasons but if they do not step up, this the duopoly might end this year.
Without further ado, let's head straight into the October edition of the Ballon d'Or Power Ranking:

#10 Edinson Cavani

Paris Saint-Germain Training Session

For the third month in a row, Edinson Cavani is #10 on the ranking. The Uruguay striker has had a decent start to the Ligue 1 season, scoring 5 goals in 5 games so far.
The PSG star had a decent World Cup and that saw him retain his place in the top 10 but he is yet to do anything significant to improve his ranking. Cavani is the only player on the list to have remained at the same spot for more than 2 months and he will not be happy about it.
He scored 31 goals last season and unless he gets to at least half of it by December, he will most likely finish in the same place or lower. Robert Lewandowski is very close to taking the spot from him!

#9 Neymar

Brazil Training Session

Just like Cavani, Neymar's position in the month's power ranking is unchanged. The Brazilian made his way back into the Top 10 last month after he dropped out in April, due to his injury.
His performances at the World Cup helped him get back into the ranking and his club performances have helped him retain that place. He is currently the top scorer in Ligue 1 with 7 goals – just 1 ahead of Florian Thauvin!
With just months left for the gala, Neymar has a lot to do. He's got to get a lot more goals and assists if he wants to improve his chances of making it to the podium at least. He had a great chance to showcase his talent at Anfield but was outplayed by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

#8 Mohamed Salah

Chelsea v Liverpool - Premier League

Mohamed Salah has had the steepest fall in the ranking since Neymar in April. The Brazilian dropped out of the top 10 from the 5th position due to his injury but for Slaah, it is all due to his form.
The Egyptian has not been at his best ever since his shoulder injury in the UEFA Champions League finals. The forward could not impress at the World Cup as well and was not able to get his side a win at the grandest stage of them all.

His form for Liverpool this season has been sinusoidal in the last two months and that has cost him. He was in the top 3 for half of 2018 but now sees himself in the 8th spot with a podium finish looking highly unlikely.

#7 Harry Kane

Huddersfield Town v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League

And he's back among the goals! Harry Kane has also had a sinusoidal start to the season but has been back on track in the last 2 weeks.
The English man won the Golden Boot at the World Cup but was not able to help England win the tournament. He finally managed to score in August but the start of September saw him go 5 games without a goal.

Kane's performances in those games were also mediocre and he has no chance of making it to the top half of the ranking.

#6 Antoine Griezmann

Real Madrid CF v Club Atletico de Madrid - La Liga

Antoine Griezmann believes that he deserves to win the Ballon d'Or. The Frenchman was upset when he didn't make it to the top 3 of The Best FIFA Men's Player Award and openly said that Ballon d'Or was more prestigious.
In reality, Griezmann has a lot to do before he can even make the Ballon d'Or podium. The Atletico striker might have 3 trophies to his name this season, but that's not going to get him anywhere near the podium.

He's got just 2 goals this season for Atletico Madrid and is one of the reasons why they are struggling in LaLiga. The striker needs to get his shooting boots on and score a lot of goals if he aims at getting close to the trophy this year.

#5 Kylian Mbappe

Paris Saint-Germain Training Session

While his striker partners, Neymar and Cavani, saw their ranking unchanged, Mbappe has had a steep fall. The teenager was sent off against Nimes and that him suspended for three games.
The suspension meant that he played just 3 games last month and one of them was for his country. In those three games, he did manage to score twice and get an assist but that just wasn't enough for him to maintain his place in the top 2.

The others around him have been on top of their game and their performances saw Mbappe's ranking go down. The 19-year-old still has a good chance of making it to the podium but will have to score a ton of goals by December.

#4 Eden Hazard

Liverpool v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Third Round

Easily the best player in the Premier League right now! The Chelsea man has been on a different level under Maurizio Sarri and that has seen him ranking shoot up.
Eden Hazard was 8th last month but his performances in September have left everyone behind. Many might argue that he is the best player in the world right now, but the Belgian has a lot to do before he gets that crown.
Hazard can end up on the podium this year but he will have to maintain this form for the next 2-3 months. There is a good chance that he will get exhausted under Sarri but for a player who is fighting to be the best in the world, he has to main thin this form for a long time.

#3 Lionel Messi

FC Barcelona v PSV - UEFA Champions League Group B

September was the month where Lionel Messi could have taken a huge step towards the Ballon d'Or trophy. However, he could not work his magic as he would have liked and that sees him rise up by just 2 places.
Messi was 5th in the September Power Ranking and with Cristiano Ronaldo's red card in the UEFA champions league first game, the Argentine had a great chance of jumping ahead of the Juventus star.

The Barcelona legend did score a hat-trick and a brace last month but that came against PSV and Huesca. Messi needs to score more and only that can get him his hands on the Ballon d'Or trophy for the sixth time!

#2 Cristiano Ronaldo

Juventus v SSC Napoli - Serie A

Cristiano Ronaldo must be thanking his stars right now. The dubious red card against Valencia almost cost him a place in the top 3 of the Ballon d'Or Power Ranking.
While his red card was unjustified and to an extent, undeserved, it made a huge impact on his ranking. Had he not got the hat-trick of assists vs Napoli, he could have been a place behind Messi in the ranking.

He has scored just 3 goals this season and has 4 assists if Ronaldo does not start scoring like he did last season, there is no way he can get his hands on the Ballon d'Or trophy.

#1 Luka Modric

Sevilla FC v Real Madrid CF - La Liga

This could well be Luka Modric's year. The Croatian has won the Golden Ball, UEFA Best Player of the Year award and The Best FIFA Men's Player Award this year so far.
That clearly means he has got the recognition he deserves. The midfielder was crucial for Real Madrid in their Champions League triumph and also the main man for Croatia's run into the World Cup final.
Luka Modric just needs to be himself and continue to perform the way he is doing right now. Should he maintain this form for another 2 months, he could be the first human ever, since Kaka, to win the Ballon d'Or!