The Great Debate: Who should win the 2018 Ballon d'Or? | OneFootball

It included most of the names you’d expect from what it’s been one of the most exciting 12 months we can remember.

But who would our writers pick as their Ballon d’Or winner for 2018?

Lewis Ambrose

If this award is about being the best footballer in the world, Lionel Messi must win it.

In 45 appearances for club and country, Messi has scored 41 goals and assisted 19 this year. He is one of the best dribblers in the world and one of the best passers in the world. He is the best free-kick taker in the world (eight scored in 2018 so far).

Messi supposedly had a terrible World Cup yet assisted twice and scored one of the goals of the tournament in just four appearances.

He is the best player on the planet.

Elliott Bretland

Lionel Messi, without any doubt.

He is at a completely different level to every other player, head and shoulders above the rest. The best at everything he does, his feats are made all the more mesmerising by just how natural it all comes to him.

His stats are insane and quite simply, he is the greatest footballer and should have scooped this award every season.

Dan Burke

Oh great, another individual award to debate, just what we needed.

Maybe one of them deserves it again this year, but I’m so sick of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s duopoly over the Ballon d’Or that I’d be happy to see it given to literally anyone else.

So I vote for Luka Modrić. He already won The Best award, so surely he should win this one too? That makes the most logical sense, no?

Phil Costa

Screw it. I’m saying give it to Kylian Mbappé because he’s going to win them all for the next 15 years anyway.

He’s a Ligue 1 winner, World Cup winner, playing regularly for club and country AND the youngest Ballon d’Or nominee ever.

The kid is a freak. Since his senior debut for Monaco, Mbappé is averaging a goal or an assist every 78 minutes which is Messi or Ronaldo standard. He hasn’t even turned 20 yet.

Not to mention he’s already mastered the knee slide and coined his own celebration. If that’s not an elite mentality then I don’t know what is.

Alex Mott

As much as I’d love a new winner, I’m with Lewis on this one: it simply has to be Lionel Messi.

No player was more decisive for club and country in 2018. A year in which he won LaLiga, single-handedly got Argentina to the World Cup and dragged them through force of will into the last 16.

But he’s not just a goal-scorer now. He’s the greatest dribbler in the game and arguably become one of the best passers of a ball we’ve ever seen.

This may not have been a vintage Messi year, but he’s still been the best.