Superstars Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo were nowhere to be seen at the annual Ballon d'Or awards ceremony in Paris on Monday, when Luka Modric ended their decade-long dominance of the prize. Here are all the best pictures from the night!
Click through the gallery above to see some shots from the awards ceremony!
After 10 years of either Ronaldo or Messi lifting the prestigious prize, their duopoly finally came to an end when Modric was named the winner of the 2018 Ballon d'Or this week.
The Croat has enjoyed a terrific calendar year, during which he won the UEFA Champions League and made it to the final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup with his country, a tournament he was also voted as the best player at.
Not only did he win the Golden Ball at the tournament, but he also lifted the UEFA Player of the Year prize and FIFA's The Best Men's Player award earlier this year.
The winner of the Women's Ballon d'Or was the fantastic Ada Hegerberg, who plays her club football for Olympique Lyon and represents Norway on the international stage, while Kylian Mbappe was, perhaps unsurprisingly, named the winner of the newly-introduced Kopa Trophee for the best-performing player under the age of 21.
Just as they did at the FIFA Awards, Ronaldo and Messi were not in attendance in Paris on Monday, which might have disappointed those who were there to see Modric end their reign.
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The two talismanic figures came under scrutiny for their failure to show up in Zurich earlier this year, with many believing their no-show to be disrespectful.
Did you think Modric deserved the award? Let us know in the comments section below.
