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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wolverine GTR" data-source="post: 23982183" data-attributes="member: 158020">Modric beats Ronaldo, Griezmann,  Mbappe & Messi to 2018 Ballon d'Or prize   <img src="https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/12/03/22/6962078-6456033-The_experienced_midfielder_has_enjoyed_a_brilliant_year_for_both-m-31_1543876474913.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />   Luka Modric has beaten off competition from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo,  Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi to be named the winner of 2018's Ballon  d'Or.   The Real Madrid midfielder played a pivotal role for his club as they stormed  to a third consecutive Champions League title, as well as captaining Croatia to  second place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.   With France having won the World Cup, Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and even  Modric's fellow Madrid team-mate Raphael Varane had been amongst the favourites  alongside the evergreen duo of Ronaldo and Messi.   However, the Croatian's exploits across the year - which included being  awarded the Golden Ball at the World Cup - have seem him emerge ahead of the  rest of the pack and become the first from his country to lift the award.   Indeed, Modric has become the first player to break Messi and Ronaldo's  duopoly of the award since 2007, with Brazil icon Kaka being the last to lift  the trophy before the Argentine and Portuguese stars collected five each across  the following years.   "It's a unique feeling, I'm happy, proud and it's an honour," he said as he  accepted the award. "[There are] extraordinary emotions at the moment."I just  want to thank all those who helped me to be here tonight, I thank my team-mates,  my coaches, the staff and Real Madrid, all those who work there, the coaches and  team-mates in the national team, the ones who voted for me and my family, which  allows me to blossom as a person.   "Always have dreams, I wanted to play in a big club, win titles, the Ballon  d'Or is all I could dream [about] as a child, it's an honour to win it  tonight."It's a great pleasure to be here around these players. I keep thinking,  I'm trying to get used to being part of this group of exceptional players who  have won the Ballon d'Or in history. It's a great pleasure to be part of this  group.   "Throughout my career I understood that work, persistence, believing in  yourself, is the basis for expressing your talent. I like a saying - the best is  never easy. For me, it was not easy. It was necessary to seize the  opportunities."The midfielder believes changing his role in midfield has been a  turning point in his career, saying it all came together while he was at  Tottenham.    "Changing position allowed me to develop my game, before I was more an  offensive player. When I retreated, I had a better vision of the game, I could  better express my creativity, my game. In my second year in Tottenham, I played  midfielder and I felt better in the middle."   Modric, who also won FIFA's Best Men's Player award this year, finished ahead  of his former Madrid team-mate Ronaldo in the vote, making the Portuguese icon  settle for second place for the first time in three years.   France star Griezmann took third place in the poll, with fellow World Cup  winner Mbappe was close behind. Messi, meanwhile, dropped outside the top two  for the first time in 11 years and came in fifth this time.</blockquote>

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