A French journalist has reportedly leaked the current top three in the Ballon d'Or voting after half of the votes were counted, and neither Cristiano Ronaldo nor Lionel Messi appears among them.
Click through the gallery above to see the reported top three after half the Ballon d'Or votes were counted.
The prestigious Golden Ball will be handed out on 3 December, with Ronaldo and Messi having won the award over the past 10 years.
However, according to French journalist Eric Mamruth, neither of the pair is currently in the top three for the prize.
The journalist has claimed to know who the current three leaders after half of the votes have been counted are, and tweeted that Luka Modric appears ahead of Raphael Varane and Kylian Mbappe at the top of the pile.
EXCLUSIF #BallondOr : Après dépouillement de la moitié des votes, le trio de tête est le suivant: 1) Modric 2) @raphaelvarane 3) @KMbappe . Info @xbarretfoot @RFIRadioFoot @RFIsports
— Eric Mamruth (@MamruthRFI) November 9, 2018
Modric has already claimed the UEFA Player of the Year prize and FIFA's The Best Men's Player accolade this year, and could complete his awards hat-trick when France Football hands out the Ballon d'Or next month.
France Football's editorial team released a list with 30 nominees last month, and then a "jury of specialised journalists" – there were 176 last year – voted for their favourites.
Read: Nominees For Ballon d'Or Revealed – Part 1
Read: Nominees For Ballon d'Or Revealed – Part 2
Each jury member selected his/her top five players from the 30 nominees, with the first getting six points, second four, third three, fourth two and fifth option one point.
Who do you think deserves this year's Ballon d'Or? Have your say in the comments section below.
