The Croatia captain beat out Messi and Ronaldo to win the top individual honour in football, but who's in contention to scoop up the award in 2019?
Luka Modric being named the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner broke the 10-year stronghold that was the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo duopoly of the award.
The Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder became the first footballer since Kaka in 2007 that wasn't Messi or Ronaldo, and potentially marked the start of a new era in sport following the two-horse race that had dominated the Ballon d'Or award over the past decade.
Goal takes an early look at potential candidates for next year's honour.
GettyKylian Mbappe | PSG & France
At just 19 years old, Mbappe finished fourth in the 2018 Ballon d'Or rankings, and has already achieved more than most people will in five lifetimes.
Having already lifted the World Cup with France and leading PSG to consistent success, Mbappe was crowned the inaugural Kopa Trophy winner in 2018 and could very well gun for winning the Ballon d'Or in 2019.
AdvertisementGettyLuis Suarez | Barcelona & Uruguay
The Uruguay striker finished 13th in the 2018 rankings in a season that saw him score twice in the World Cup semi-finals and score 25 seasons in the 2017-18 La Liga season.
Though his prolific form as a forward has somewhat been consistently overshadowed by the ever-presence of Messi, he has been an important player for Barcelona since his move from Liverpool in 2014.
GettyEden Hazard | Chelsea & BelgiumThe midfield has had such a strong year with Belgium and Chelsea – winning the FA Cup with his club and finishing third at the World Cup in Russia – that he has captured the attention of European champions Real Madrid.GettyPaulo Dybala | Juventus & ArgentinaDybala has already proven to be an instrumental forward player for Juventus alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and has been an emerging prospect with the Argentina side, with the next year being an opportunity for the striker to escape the shadow of Lionel Messi for his national team.