It has been an unforgettable 2018 for Luka Modric. Champions League winner, World Cup finalist and the man who finally ended the decadelong stranglehold of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the Ballon d'Or.
It could have been better, of course. With every individual award -- Modric also won the Golden Ball as the best player at the World Cup, and was also made ESPN the Magazine's Dominant 20 list for 2018, a testament to his form and awards won.
Mellow Modric has been on a roll, starting with Real Madrid's third consecutive UEFA Champions League title, before he and Croatia (entering at 33-1 odds) stunned the globe as World Cup runners-up. Modric led all players in touches, had the third-most completed passes, was tied for the third-most chances created and took home the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. He won FIFA Best Men's Player, the UEFA Men's Player of the Year and capped off 2018 by winning the Ballon d'Or, ending Messi and Ronaldo's decade of dominance. Derby County manager and Chelsea legend Frank Lampard says Modric โplays like he's in the park. He's never bothered.โ He just gives everyone else fits.
Here is the full list:
SIMONE BILES
Gymnastics, USA; Dominance rating: 3.248
ELIUD KIPCHOGE
Marathon, Kenya; Dominance rating: 2.355
DANIEL CORMIER
MMA, USA; Dominance rating: 2.273
ARIYA JUTANUGARN
Golf, Thailand; Dominance rating: 2.094
KATIE LEDECKY
Swimming, USA; Dominance rating: 1.750
CHLOE KIM
Snowboarding, USA; Dominance rating: 1.609
BREANNA STEWART
WNBA, USA; Dominance rating: 1.419
LUKA MODRIC
Soccer, Croatia; Dominance rating: 1.410
SIMONA HALEP
Tennis, Romania; Dominance rating: 1.339
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
Tennis, Serbia; Dominance rating: 1.205
YUZURU HANYU
Figure skating, Japan; Dominance rating: 1.174
LEWIS HAMILTON
F1, ENGLAND; Dominance rating: 1.171
LEBRON JAMES
NBA, USA; Dominance rating: 1.103
MOOKIE BETTS
MLB, USA; Dominance rating: 1.078
DREW BREES
NFL, USA; Dominance rating: 1.021
JUSTIFY
Horse racing, USA; Dominance rating: 1.011
ALEX OVECHKIN
NHL, RUSSIA; Dominance rating: 0.852
PATRICK MAHOMES
NFL, USA; Dominance rating: 0.829
JAMES HARDEN
NBA, USA; Dominance rating: 0.639
MIKE TROUT
MLB, USA; Dominance rating: 0.476
tropicalda
257
Luka Modric in 2018: ๐ Champions League title ๐ Ballon dโOr ๐ FIFAโs The Best Player Award ๐ UEFA Best Player of the Year ๐ UEFA Best Midfielder Award ๐ World Cup Best Player Award ๐ฅ World Cup Runner-Up what a year ๐
Bandiken
178
People keep talking about Modric, what about Rakitic? they were both the backbone of Croatian football, the reason they went this far. It's totally unfair to Rakitic
Alakiri
118
This year is for Modric and the heroes are allowing him to go let him dominant this year