Croatia vs England to be a battle for Modric and Kane's Ballon d'Or case

July 10, 2018 By Ali M.

Topics: Luka Modric, Harry Kane, Croatia, England, FIFA World Cup

These two players have been talked up for France Football's coveted prize, but a lot hinges on what happens on Wednesday

Before the World Cup kicked off, Mohamed Salah was tipped as the man to shake Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's Ballon d'Or dominance. Fast forward to today and other names are the front-runners to challenge the Real Madrid and Barcelona icons.

While the hype surrounding Hazard and Mbappe is nothing new, two unlikely candidates are being tipped for the coveted prize. They are Luka Modric and Harry Kane, the key figures in their respective nations' campaign in Russia.

The reason is simple: both Croatia and England have exceeded expectations this summer. None would have predicted these two nations would reach the penultimate stage, with their captain being at the heart of their impressive runs.

Who can forget the Three Lions skipper's brace against Tunisia to earn all three points despite their shaky display? The Tottenham ace then followed up on that game with a hat-trick against Panama before scoring another in the round of 16 clash with Colombia to steal the lead in the Golden Boot race.

And then there is Modric. A goal in the opening day victory over Nigeria was lovely but it pales in comparison to his superb display in the 3-0 thrashing of Argentina. He ran the game from midfield and capped everything off with an exquisite goal.

Talk of either the Englishman or Croat winning the Ballon d'Or would only multiply tenfold should one of them get their hands on the title. Unfortunately, that will likely still not be enough to end the two-horse that the accolade has become.

Eden Hazard even hinted that whatever happens in Russia would probably not matter and since only Modric and Kane cannot both move onto to the final, one – if not both – of these players will kiss goodbye to their Ballon d'Or odds come Wednesday. As a result, these two men will have a little extra to play for in their semi-final encounter.

Winning the World Cup is the main goal. However, being considered for France Football's honorary crown is an honor that only the victor will continue to boast. Both men will thus give it their all for the win