The 2018 Ballon d’Or ceremony introduced two modern awards fans now know as commonplace and annually celebrated.
Aside from the men’s award being handed out to a first-time winner, the 2018 ceremony introduced the women’s Ballon d’Or and the Kopa Trophy. The women’s game finally had an equivalent award to celebrate each year while the best players of the up-and-coming generation.
Luka Modrić ended up breaking a lengthy streak when he accepted the men’s award at the ceremony while Ada Hegerberg and Kylian Mbappé were also celebrated on the night.
Here’s the full list of winners from the 2018 Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Men’s Ballon d’Or 2018 Winner
- T-29: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur, France)
- T-29: Isco (Real Madrid, Spain)
- 28: Diego Godín (Atlético Madrid, Uruguay)
- T-25: Jan Oblak (Atlético Madrid, Slovenia)
- T-25: Mario Mandžukić (Juventus, Croatia)
- T-25: Alisson (Roma / Liverpool, Brazil)
- T-22: Marcelo (Real Madrid, Brazil)
- T-22: Sadio Mané (Liverpool, Senegal)
- T-22: Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain, Uruguay)
- T-19: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid, Spain)
- T-19: Ivan Rakitić (Barcelona, Croatia)
- T-19: Roberto Firmino (Liverpool, Brazil)
- T-17: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France)
- T-17: Gareth Bale (Real Madrid, Wales)
- 16: Sergio Agüero (Manchester City, Argentina)
- 15: Paul Pogba (Manchester United, France)
- 14: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea / Real Madrid, Belgium)
- 13: Luis Suárez (Barcelona, Uruguay)
- 12: Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain, Brazil)
- 11: N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea, France)
- 10: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur, England)
- 9: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, Belgium)
- 8: Eden Hazard (Chelsea, Belgium)
- 7: Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid, France)
- 6: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, Egypt)
- 5: Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina)
- 4: Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
- 3: Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid, France)
- 2: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Juventus, Portugal)
- 1: Luka Modrić (Real Madrid, Croatia)
For the first time since 2007, a player not named Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo won the award. Modrić beat the field thanks to his performances in the 2018 FIFA World Cup with Croatia nearly singlehandedly getting his country to the final. Croatia would go on to lose to France, and eventual club teammate Kylian Mbappé, but history was made nonetheless at the ceremony.
He also won the Golden Ball, the World Cup award for best player in the tournament, plus UEFA Player of the Year and The Best FIFA Player Award for a third consecutive Champions League title with Real Madrid.
Modrić is the first Croatian player to win the award, and was the first player to win the UEFA and Golden Ball awards in the same year since Ronaldo Nazario in 1998. He dedicated his award to the players who hadn’t in the past like Barcelona rivals Xavi and Andres Iniesta.
Women’s Ballon d’Or 2018 Winner
- 15: Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns, Canada)
- 14: Fran Kirby (Chelsea, England)
- 13: Amel Majri (Lyon, France)
- 12: Saki Kumagai (Lyon, Japan)
- 11: Lieke Martens (Barcelona, Netherlands)
- 10: Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns, United States)
- 9: Megan Rapinoe (Seattle Reign, United States)
- T-7: Wendie Renard (Lyon, France)
- T-7: Amandine Henry (Lyon, France)
- 6: Lucy Bronze (Lyon, England)
- 5: Sam Kerr (Chicago Red Stars / Perth Glory, Australia)
- 4: Marta (Orlando Pride, Brazil)
- 3: Dzsenifer Marozsán (Lyon, Germany)
- 2: Pernille Harder (VfL Wolfsburg, Denmark)
- 1: Ada Hegerberg (Lyon, Norway)
Lyon and Norway’s Ada Hegerberg won the inaugural Ballon d’Or Féminin beating out Pernille Harder, Dzsenifer Marozsán and the other top stars of the women’s game at the time. As history would have it, Hegerberg has not finished in the top three since her initial award.
Kopa Trophy 2018 Winner
- T-9: Amadou Haidara (Red Bull Salzburg, Mali)
- T-9: Ritsu Dōan (Groningen, Japan)
- 8: Houssem Aouar (Lyon, Algeria)
- 7: Patrick Cutrone (Milan, Italy)
- 6: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool, England)
- T-4: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan, Italy)
- T-4: Rodrygo (Santos, Brazil)
- 3: Justin Kluivert (Ajax / Roma, Netherlands)
- 2: Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund, United States)
- 1: Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
Kylian Mbappé, the now French and Real Madrid superstar, won the inaugural Kopa Trophy in 2018 given to the best player under the age of 21. The award, named after 1958 Ballon d’Or Raymond Kopa, is up for grabs across all six FIFA confederations. The Golden Boy award, on the other hand, is UEFA-based.
Mbappé beat out the likes of a burgeoning Christian Pulisic at Borussia Dortmund, Rodrygo before he went to Real Madrid, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Gianluigi Donnarumma. All stars in their own right now at clubs across the world.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ballon d’Or 2018 Winners: Full List .
