Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have shared the Ballon d'Or over the past 10 years, but another player should be the only one in the discussion for the award this year, according to a former winner of the Golden Ball.
Read: Ronaldo Names His 5 Ballon D'Or Favourites, Snubs Messi
The superstar duo have lifted the prestigious accolade five times each, but this season the race seems more open than in a long time.
Many consider Luka Modric the favourite as he has already picked up UEFA's Player of the Year and FIFA's The Best Men's Player awards this year, but three-time winner Michel Platini has insisted Raphael Varane is the most deserving for the 2018 Golden Ball.
"It has never been easier than this year to choose who is going to win the Ballon d'Or," Platini told French publication RMC.
"It's a Frenchman who is going to win the Ballon d'Or. I hope so.
"There's only one player who has won the Champions League and the World Cup – it's Varane.
"There's always the Ronaldo-Messi debate, but this year there's only one, one who has won all that, his name is Varane. He's an excellent player. I would have voted for him, the results are the only objective thing, everything else is subjective.
"We can have opinions about (Antoine) Griezmann, (Kylian) Mbappe, (Olivier) Giroud, (Hugo) Lloris, Modric... But the only one who has won everything this year is Raphael Varane."
Read: Ronaldo: I Want To Beat Messi's Ballon d'Or Record
France Football will announce this year's winner on 3 December, and Soccer Laduma will keep you updated on all developments.
Who do you think should win this year's Ballon d'Or award? Have your say in the comments section below.
