With the first quarter of the year firmly in the books, it’s time to take an initial look at who the front-runners for the most prestigious individual award in football are.

Just like last year, we’ll run three instalments, updating as the calendar year progresses, charting players’ likelihood of winning the trophy. As the months go by, the picture will become clearer, with the second instalment—the post-World Cup edition—being where answers truly start to reveal themselves.

Over the years, the formula for winning the Ballon d’Or has been ironed out, revealing three key tenets: performance, execution and reputation.

The first two are linked; you have to play consistently well, and you have to shine when the big stage comes calling. The most important games in the calendar—Champions League knockouts, World Cup contests—should be your stomping ground. The latter point is more of a qualifier; you need to be a big name to be considered.

All 15 of the players we have selected fulfil each of the three criteria but to what degree? That forms the basis of the ranking.



*In ranking the names, we have taken into account solely what has happened from January to now. The Ballon d’Or is a calendar-year award, so whatever happened in 2017 is irrelevant. That’s good news for Cristiano Ronaldo but bad news for Paul Pogba




Click On the link below to view details on this article

http://afriyo.com/2018-ballon-dor-rankings-heading-into-champions-league-semi-finals
http://afriyo.com/2018-ballon-dor-rankings-heading-into-champions-league-semi-finals

Must see