Ballon d'Or 2018, AS IT HAPPENED: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are snubbed at Paris' Grand Palais as Luka Modric wins end of year award
- The winner of the 2018 Ballon d'Or award was announced in Paris on Monday
- Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were both snubbed for the season award
- The two players have been the only winners of the trophy since Kaka in 2007
- Luka Modric ended their dominance by claiming the 2018 end of season award
- RECAP all the action from the Grand Palais right here with Sportsmail's coverage
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Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric has beaten Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to win the 2018 Ballon d'Or.
After 10 years of Ballon d'Or dominance for Messi and Ronaldo, Modric claimed the prestigious prize after a fine year for both club and country, which has seen him win the Champions League for a third consecutive season and finish runner-up at the World Cup with Croatia.
Modric, 33, stormed to Ballon d'Or victory at the Grand Palais in Paris, while Ronaldo came second and Messi finished down in fifth. Meanwhile, Antoine Griezmann took third and Kylian Mbappe - Kopa Trophy - fourth.
Nathan SaltHost commentator
That's all from me!
Appreciate your patience this evening - the organisers certainly knew how to make a night out of it!
But that's all from me here. Congratulations to Luka Modric and commiserations to the other 29 stars.
Roll on 2019...
21:31
Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric has beaten Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to win the 2018 Ballon d'Or.
After 10 years of Ballon d'Or dominance for Messi and Ronaldo, Modric claimed the prestigious prize after a fine year for both club and country, which has seen him win the Champions League for a third consecutive season and finish runner-up at the World Cup with Croatia.
Modric, 33, stormed to Ballon d'Or victory at the Grand Palais in Paris, while Ronaldo came second and Messi finished down in fifth. Meanwhile, Antoine Griezmann took third and Kylian Mbappe - Kopa Trophy - fourth.
21:30
The winning trio!
21:24
Tributes are flooding in now for the midfielder
Some image this from Real Madrid.
Their star midfielder sat on a gold throne like a man who runs the show.
Real Madrid President Florentino Perez is in Paris tonight to congratulate the Madrid star...
21:20
The best year of his life? Quite possibly
21:18
#ballondor
01Owen
02Ronaldo
03Nedved
04Chevtchenko
05
06Cannavaro
07
08Ronaldo
09Messi
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18Modric
21:17
A stunning season from the Real Madrid and Croatia star has seen him become the first man since Kaka in 2007 wrestle the Ballon d'Or away from both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Huge cheers and fist pumps from his family in the audience.
It's been a year to remember for the central midfielder.
21:16
LUKA MODRIC WINS 2018 BALLON D'OR!
Mbappe looks like he is losing the will with David Ginola and the various dance troupes that are coming and going.
But we are almost there. He come the final four.
And still we wait...
21:00
World Cup interlude
I thought for a second the final four were on stage but my eyes were merely deceiving me this has been running for so long.
Instead the heavily French crowd are being spoken to from the stage by the French national team and they are joined on stage by the ever so shiny World Cup trophy.
Thomas Lemar looks scared to touch it.
20:56
Golden girl!
Fab Four left awaiting their fate!
Well... still left to be announced is Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo, Antoine Griezmann, and Luka Modric.
The final four! Three of them in the building...
20:42
Ada Hegerberg wins the women's Ballon d'Or!
The Norwegian forward has been very impressive up top for Lyon and with a gold dress for the occasion, she must have had an inkling the light would shine brightest on her achievements this evening.
Like Mbappe and the Trophee Kopa, the Lyon ace is the first ever recipient of the Women's Ballon d'Or after a revamp to the awards this year.
Ada Hegerberg est la première gagnante du tout nouveau #ballondor féminin
Time for the women's Ballon d'Or award...
20:40
Lionel Messi is 5th!
This is probably the biggest surprise of the evening but a poor World Cup with Argentina is likely to be the reason why he is as low as he is.
Cannot fault his performances at Barcelona in what was a totally dominant La Liga title win.
20:38
Mo Salah finishes 6th!
He had the most prolific season of his career up front for the Reds but it only secures sixth in the rankings.
A tad harsh on the Egyptian but again, the World Cup achievements of others has aided their cause.
20:38
Raphael Varane finishes 7th!
The Real Madrid defender was a bedrock in the Champions League success for Zinedine Zidane and is well worth his place in the top 10.
But attackers always steal the plaudits and the big names are starting to find out their finishing spots...
20:32
Dance for me Kylian...
20:30
Ten, nine, eight...
Finally we are back to the top 10 and here is where we stand:
10 - Harry Kane
9 - Kevin De Bruyne
8 - Eden Hazard
The Premier League contingent are dropping quickly in the top 10 standings!
20:26
Plenty singing the praises of star man Mbappe
So far we have heard from France boss Didier Deschamps, Wilfried Mbappe and now Gianluigi Buffon about all the qualities of the 19-year-old striker.
In a nutshell - he's not too bad...
20:21
Ginola is in his element this evening
20:20
Ex-Ballon d'Or winners selected Mbappe
Worth noting that the Trophee Kopa was voted for by the previous winners of the main award.
So while journalists pick the men's award this evening, the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Kaka have unanimously picked the PSG forward.
For his punishment after winning the award, Mbappe is told to dance with Martin Solveig.
Poor guy.
20:15
KYLIAN MBAPPE WINS U21 BALLON D'OR
This should come as no real surprise. The teenager has been simply sensational.
The Trophee Kopa had a number of hot prospects up for the award but with his family in attendance, there was only one man who was going to claim the award.
It is an award in its first year so Mbappe will go down in the history books as its first ever recipient.
It surely won't be long before he lifts the main award!
20:11
It's montage time again. But rather than former winners this time we are seeing goals and assists from those nominated in the top 10.
Only a handful of them in the building to bask in their achievements, mind you.
Lots enjoying Antoine Griezmann's various Fortnite celebrations at the Grand Palais.
Martin Solveig on the decks with David Ginola dancing...
David Ginola the host this evening and he has just introduced DJ Martin Solveig who has his set-up next to the grand golden staircase.
I thought the awards were close but clearly I was very, very wrong.
The players are as confused as me...
20:06
Sportsmail's man on the ground in Paris
Sportsmail's DOMINIC KING at the Grand Palais: A giant screen is now showing all the past winners of the award, dating back to Sir Stanley Matthews in 1956.
The Grand Palais is abuzz every time a French face is shown, from Jean Pierre-Papin to Zinedine Zidane.
In an update to whether Ronaldo and Messi are here, an empty seat on the front row between Gianluigi Buffon and Luka Modric is a firm indicator that there is at least one high-profile non-attendee.
A break dancer who I do not know the name of, is currently contorting his body into a whole manner of shapes which seem to be defying gravity.
The organisers really are putting on a show here tonight.
Right here we go... (I think)
19:54
Five minute warning
Time to start taking your seats as we are minutes away from getting started at the Grand Palais.
Big turn out from the French contingent but no sign of Messi or Ronaldo.
The Premier League are in action on Tuesday and Wednesday so it comes as no surprise that a number of the finalists are unable to make it.
19:44
Cheer up Didier!
Not long to wait now Didier... the ceremony is due to get underway at 20:00!
19:39
Nominees for the women's Ballon d'Or
Who will be popping open a bottle of champagne this evening? The nominees for the women's award are...
Lucy Bronze
Pernille Harder
Ada Hegerberg
Amandine Henry
Lindsey Horan
Sam Kerr
Fran Kirby
Saki Kumagai
Dzsenifer Marozsan
Amel Majri
Marta
Lieke Martens
Megan Rapinoe
Wendie Renard
Christine Sinclair
19:36
Sportsmail's man on the ground in Paris
Sportsmail's DOMINIC KING in Paris: After spending an hour watching the red carpet, it seems these awards are going to pass without either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo in attendance.
It is, of course, a celebration of French football tonight but, even still, you would expect these multiple winners to be present for the passing of the baton.
It would be a shame if they failed to be here.
19:32
It's a family occasion in the Modric household!
19:28
Kylian Mbappe is a really good guy, isn't he?!
He's the man everyone wants a piece of this evening but he still has time to sign a shirt and give it to an awestruck French youngster who has managed to wiggle a place beside the red carpet.
A moment - and a shirt - to cherish!
How cute from Kylian Mbappélive from the #ballondor ceremony!
19:24
Modric has a 'good feeling' about success
Luke Modric has his say to L'Equipe: 'It's a great honour, a great feeling and a beautiful evening. I have good feeling, I am honoured to be here in competition for this great award.'
19:18
Huge cheers as Luka Modric arrives with his children
The French players have unsurprisingly been given huge cheers upon arrival but Croatian star Luka Modric was just given a rousing reception as he arrived with his wife Vanja Bosnic and children.
Will he win the ultimate prize?
Around 40 minutes until the ceremony gets underway inside the Grand Palais...
19:14
Bow ties popular this evening
19:05
Players arriving thick and fast now...
That red carpet is becoming a VERY busy place now as France World Cup winning coach Didier Deschamps is ushered along to make room for PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
The former Juventus goalkeeper is in demand for autographs as he is all smiles to lend support to team-mate Mbappe.
Seconds behind him is Antoine Griezmann who has opted to not wear a tie for the occasion. He holds fire outside the venue to walk in with France team-mates Lucas Hernandez and Thomas Lemar.
19:01
Kylian Mbappe is in the building!
The France and Paris Saint-Germain star is the biggest star to have arrived at the venue so far this evening as he poses for photos alongside younger brother Ethan.
He too plays for PSG and has impressed in their under-12 team.
Mbappe has had an incredible campaign for club and country, winning both Ligue 1 and the World Cup and there is a feeling the 19-year-old will go on to be one of the world's greatest players.
18:54
Sportsmail's man on the ground in Paris
Sportsmail's DOMINIC KING at the Grand Palais: The great and good of French football are starting to arrive in this magnificent setting.
1998 World Cup winners Bixente Lizarazu, Laurent Blanc and former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier are the three most recent men to walk down the red carpet.
This is certainly a grander occasion than the ceremonies that used to be staged in Kongresshaus in Zurich. It remains the ultimate award for a footballer to win.
18:50
The awards are in the building!
As the cars pull up to transport the various footballers and managers attending tonight, one white Fiat pulled up and nobody got out.
The boot was popped open and three members of staff at the Palais tonight carefully brought the men's, women's and the U21 Ballon d'Or awards into the venue.
It's looking incredible moments before people begin to crowd the space and take their seats.
We still await the top 10 but it is clear who the locals want: Kylian Mbappe.
18:44
So how does the scoring system work?
So, if I have got this right, the voting works like this.
'Prestigious' journalists from across Europe are given a voting form and they select their top three players from a list of 30 on a shortlist.
If a player is selected as the top pick they get five points, three points for second and one point for third.
These are then all counted and accumulated to form the final standings, hence why some players share a spot in the countdown.
18:38
Picture perfect night in Paris!
This is a stunning photo of the venue this evening which is basking in the light of the Eiffel Tower.
Plenty of pink and blue lights set the venue apart from the skyline as players are arriving thick and fast now.
Roma's Justin Kluivert is the latest to pose for photographers on the red carpet.
18:34
Not just footballers on the red carpet...
Esteban Ocon has put the Formula One season behind him now and while he will not be racing next year, he was in good spirits as he posed for photos inside the Grand Palais.
The Frenchman will be rooting for home favourite Kylian Mbappe as we get to the heavyweights which include Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Antoine Griezmann and Luka Modric.
18:28
Kante finishes 11th... now for the top 10!
The France midfielder had another memorable season as his meteoric rise shows no signs of slowing down.
A World Cup winner, the midfielder was integral in Russia for Didier Deschamps' side en route to lifting the title ahead of Croatia.
The red carpet is beginning to get busy as we will bring you all the big names and players in attendance this evening as soon as they arrive at the venue.
18:24
Five Premier League stars finish in top 11 spots
There has been a lull in proceedings but while we wait for the top 11 spots to be revealed, it is worth noting we still have five Premier League players in contention.
N'Golo Kante
Eden Hazard
Harry Kane
Kevin De Bruyne
Mohamed Salah
Who will take the crown as the highest rank Premier League star?
18:23
This place will soon be filling up with football's biggest names
The Grand Palais is ready for the 63rd ceremony of the #ballondor
We are just waiting for you#ShotoniPhoneXR
18:14
Big disappointment for Neymar!
He might well be the most expensive player in the world but this is not a night where Neymar will take the title.
The Paris Saint-Germain star is to be upstaged by his young team-mate Kylian Mbappe after being announced as 12th in the countdown to No 1.
Luis Suarez assumed 13th spot after an impressive season in which Barcelona won the La Liga title with ease.
Getting closer to the business end of the result now...
18:11
A decade of dominance
Kaka is the last man to lift the award who does not go by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.
But Luka Modric is the favourite to take it this time round after winning a third straight Champions League title and reaching the World Cup final with Croatia.
2007 - Kaka
2008 - Cristiano Ronaldo
2009 - Lionel Messi
2010 - Lionel Messi
2011 - Lionel Messi
2012 - Lionel Messi
2013 - Cristiano Ronaldo
2014 - Cristiano Ronaldo
2015 - Lionel Messi
2016 - Cristiano Ronaldo
2017 - Cristiano Ronaldo
2018 - ???
18:03
Life at Madrid has not been smooth... but Courtois is goalkeeper of the year!
Congrats @thibautcourtois for being the best goalkeeper in our 2018 Ballon d'Or final ranking! #ballondor
18:01
How is the order looking so far?
15. Paul Pogba
16. Sergio Aguero
17. Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema
19. Roberto Firmino, Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Ramos
22. Marcelo, Edinson Cavani, Sadio Mane
25. Alisson, Mario Mandzukic, Jan Oblak
28. Diego Godin
29. Isco and Hugo Lloris
17:57
Not to be for Paul Pogba tonight!
For those that were holding out for Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba to take home the prestigious award, I have some bad news.
The divisive French midfielder is slap bang in the middle having been announced in 15th place from the 30 on the shortlist.
He's higher than fellow Premier League stars Sergio Aguero (16th), Roberto Firmino (19th), Sadio Mane (22nd), Alisson Becker (25th) and Hugo Lloris (29th).
Paul Pogba (@paulpogba) takes the 15th position in our Ballon d'Or final ranking! #ballondor
17:50
Is tonight the night the duopoly ends?
Hello and welcome to this evening's coverage of the Ballon d'Or awards ceremony.
Events kick-off with a red carpet outside the Grand Palais in Paris before the official awards are handed out from 19.45.
Luka Modric looks to be the favourite to win the award - a trophy which has been won by either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi every year since 2008.
Does that end tonight? Stick with me to find out...
Luka Modric is primed and ready to win the Ballon d'Or and end the decade long dominance of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Not since Kaka in 2007 has a player outside of Messi and Ronaldo won the prestigious individual award. But having won FIFA's 'The Best' award earlier this year, Real Madrid ace Modric is one of the favourites to end 2018 with the trophy.
An awards ceremony at the Grand Palais in Paris on Monday evening will name the best men's and women's player of the year.
Follow all the action live from Paris as it happens right here with Sportsmail'sNATHAN SALT
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