And I think he can't not show up this time, after the recent incident the pressure from media will be huge and he'll be forced into it. Hopefully Modric will win this one as well, so that Cristiano has to look into his eyes with a shameful face, trying his best to come up with something... and we know how he's incapable of hiding his emotions, it'll be one to watch. I think that'll make up for what he did recently.
Modric is the favorite, for sure. What the ******** is Salah doing there tho? Top 10, sure. Top 3? GTFO
Modric: "We will see. I'm happy to be amongst the finalists [of The Best] and whatever happens will happen. There are people deciding. I have a good relationship with Ronaldo and it will continue the same.” [Record]— Real Madrid Info ³⁵ (@RMadridInfo) September 6, 2018 Modric: “Individual awards are important but not more than collective ones. I'm not obsessed about it. Ronaldo & I talked. He sent me a message wishing me well. He told me he was happy & that I deserved it. He said he hoped to see me soon. That's it, we have a good relationship.”— Real Madrid Info ³⁵ (@RMadridInfo) September 6, 2018
What a ridiculous player. It takes an absolute GOAT like Cristiano to overshadow someone like him in the team to the point where we didn't notice (not enough) all the amazing things he does on a regular basis. Plus his humble and sacrificing personality makes even more of a likable person. Truly a stud. Glad he wears our shirt and I hope he continues to do so until he calls it quit and walks out through the front door.
Always been a huge Modric fan but man what he did for Croatia in the WorldCup made him a even bigger legend then already is. For what he has done for club and country he deserves the Ballon Dor. Never thought i would see a better midfielder then Prosinecki as a Croatian but Modric was more complete then him.
You could see Modric's class from his very first appearance which was a sub in the 2nd leg of the 2012 Supercopa against Barcelona. I remember him coming on and being amazed at his quality without him doing all that much. Just the crispness of his passes, fine touches and trademark body feints were on show. You could just tell he was a special player. That's why I was surprised he was named worst la liga signing of that summer considering that Mourinho hardly even played him at that point so there wasn't really much to go by for people who had never seen him play before. I was certainly in the minority of people who believed he was world class at that point having watched him at tottenham and I still maintain he hasn't really gotten all that much better from those days. He's just far more recognised and appreciated now because he's playing for the biggest club and on the grandest stage. Even before 2018, with the World Cup and all that, he was still quite underrated. He's only just receiving the plaudits and acclaim now when his actual footballing level is no better than it was in 2013, 2014 or 2015. Ofcourse, Madrid fans have known how good he has been all this time but it's interesting that the wider football audience are only just truly acknowledging him as the best now. In my opinion though, he has been World Class since his tottenham days.
Dude was an absolute non factor after getting smacked by Spain today. Please don't compare him to CR Legend. Winning that award was a fraud.
They don't know how to address his effect on the match. It was easy to acknowledge Ronaldo's by pointing at his numbers.
Cristiano fanboys still salty? I hope to pour some more salt on that wound and have Lukita win "the best" award.
I think FIFA should think about stripping Ronaldo of his previous WPOTYs and give them to Luka instead. Actually Ronaldo can keep the one he won at Manchester United, he deserved that one. But apart from that, has he ever really controlled a game like Luka has done ever since he joined? He has a better shot than Luka, and is a bit taller so can head the ball better, but Luka is superior at everything else. Football has moved on since the dark days when just getting the last touch on a goal was the most valued attribute in a player. As a sign of this improvement, FIFA should right some historical injustices and rectify their past mistakes by giving the previous awards back to the best player (ie Modric) and not just the biggest goalhanger (Messi and Ronaldo).
Yah! The extreme of Cristiano fanboys is being matched by Cristiano detractors. Fun topic. Perfect thread for such robust conversation.
Are we gonna make this Ronaldo fan boys vs Luka fan boys lol? I guess the Ronaldo fan boy forgot when Luka was great against Argentina and the great Messi was a complete non factor. Modric is one of the best midfielders to play the game while Ronaldo is one of the best ever to play the game. Let’s leave it at that.
Based on the overall performance in the last season, as much as I love Luka, Cristiano by far deserves it more than him.
Unless you believe that only goalscorers deserve this award I don’t know how exactly you make that call. All these guys have been fantastic in their respective roles.
I disagree. Ronaldo was huge scoring in the CK but overall, Luka was more consistent throughout the entire season. No high and lows like Cristiano. He also did much more in the world cup. Don't see how the Cristiano camp can even make an argument.