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The Ballon d'Or is the top individual honour for professional footballers. Football journalists vote for who they believe is top performer every year and the 2018 award could see a new winner.
Messi and Ronaldo Gone
The previous ten Ballon d'Or awards have been very easy to predict. The winner was always going to be one of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Argentine and Portuguese stars have dominated the Ballon d'Or over the past 10 years and Ronaldo was hotly tipped to make it six individual wins this year.
However, both he and Messi were eliminated from the 2018 World Cup at the Round of 16 stage while other teams and players have continued to progress.
The Young Gun
One of the youngest players left in the tournament is Kylian Mbappe. However, despite his youthfulness the French forward has illuminated the 2018 World Cup in Russia with his performances. One game in particular stands out and it was the match against Argentina in the Round of 16.
Mbappe's performance in this knockout match brought him to the attention of the world and into the discussion for the 2018 Ballon d'Or award.
Sensational Performance
The 19-year-old used his pace and dribbling ability to devastating effect, leaving the Argentina players in his wake on several occasions. In the first half, Mbappe broke from well inside his own half of the pitch and cruised away from the Argentina defence before panic set in and Marcos Rojo gave away a careless penalty.
In the second half, Mbappe continued to cause Argentina problems and picked the ball up inside the box to deliver a clinical finish and put his team 3-2 ahead. This was an example of what Mbappe can do as his touch and finish were excellent.
As the game opened up, Olivier Giroud slid the ball into the box and such was the confidence of Mbappe, he did not break stride as he struck the ball home into the far corner for 4-2. It ended up being the goal which sent his country through to the quarter-final after Sergio Aguero's injury time consolation.
Delivering on the Biggest Stage
The 2018 World Cup is not the first time Mbappe has left his mark on a big tournament and the journalists voting who will win the 2018 Ballon d'Or will be well aware of his talent.
Mbappe scored 6 goals in just 536 minutes of action as Monaco reached the semi-final of the 2016/17 Champions League. During the 2017/18 Ligue 1 season, Mbappe turned creator for PSG as he set-up 8 goals for his teammates and scored 13 himself as they romped to the French title.
The speed, skill, dribbling and finishing of Mbappe could be what makes the difference for France in the final stages of the 2018 World Cup. It's game-changers like Mbappe who come to the attention of those casting their votes for the Ballon d'Or.
If he can deliver a repeat of his performance from the match against Argentina and score or create the goals that wins France the World Cup, then Mbappe could emerge as a leading name for the 2018 Ballon d'Or.
