Soccer Football - 63rd Ballon d'Or - The Grand Palais, Paris, France - December 3, 2018 Real Madrid's Luka Modric with the Ballon d'Or award REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

PARIS (Reuters) - Real Madrid’s Croatia midfielder Luka Modric was named winner of the 2018 Ballon d’Or on Monday, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo’s and Lionel Messi’s decade-long hold on the prestigious award.

Modric, 33, helped Real Madrid win a third successive Champions League title in May and also captained Croatia to their first World Cup final, being named player of the tournament despite his side losing 4-2 to France.

“It’s a unique feeling. I’m happy proud and honored, I have a lot of emotions right now, it’s hard to describe in words,” said Modric, wearing a tuxedo as he collected the award from presenter and former France forward David Ginola after a glamorous ceremony at the Grand Palais in Paris.

The award, voted for by journalists and organized by French magazine France Football, has been dominated by Barcelona’s Messi and Ronaldo, first when he was at Manchester United and subsequently with Real Madrid, since 2008.

The last player to lift the award apart from the Argentine and Portuguese, who have won it a joint-record five times each, was Kaka in 2007 when the Brazilian played for AC Milan.

Juventus forward and 2017 winner Ronaldo came second, while Atletico Madrid and France striker Antoine Griezmann came third.

Paris St Germain’s France forward Kylian Mbappe, who also collected the Kopa award for the best under-21 player, came fourth, with Barca forward Messi finishing fifth.

Olympique Lyonnais’ Norway forward Ada Hegerberg won the inaugural Ballon d’Or for women’s football, having led her side to the Women’s Champions League title, scoring in extra time in the 4-1 win over Vfl Wolfsburg in the final.

The Ballon d’Or was first awarded in 1956 and was partnered with soccer’s world governing body FIFA under the title ‘The Best’ from 2010 to 2015, until becoming its own entity again. </s> PARIS — Luka Modric ended the long reign of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by winning the Ballon d’Or for the first time on Monday, while another first saw Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg win the inaugural women’s trophy.

Messi and Ronaldo had won every Ballon d’Or since 2008, and usually fought only each other for the greatest recognition among soccer’s elite. Women’s fight for recognition on the biggest stage took a big step with Hegerberg’s award.

Modric won the Champions League with Real Madrid and then guided Croatia to the World Cup final in July. The midfielder was voted player of the tournament.

“As a kid we all have dreams. My dream was to play for a big club and win important trophies,” Modric said. “The Ballon d’Or was more than just a dream for me and it is really an honor and a privilege to hold this trophy.”

Ronaldo was second in the polling followed by France forward Antoine Griezmann. France’s teen star, Kylian Mbappe, was fourth. Brazil star Neymar was third last year but only 12th this time. Messi was fifth in the voting, having been runner-up to Ronaldo the past two years and in the top three every year since 2007. Modric had never previously been in the top three.

“2018 is a dream year for me,” the 33-year-old Modric said. “Throughout my career I realized hard work, persistence and belief in yourself in difficult moments are the foundations of success.”

Modric’s father was shown on the big screen wiping away tears during the ceremony at the imperious Grand Palais in Paris.

Ronaldo missed out on a record sixth award, which would have moved him one ahead of Messi. The last player to win it before those two started dominating world soccer awards was Brazil midfielder Kaka with AC Milan in 2007.

Ronaldo also won the Champions League last season with Modric, before leaving to join Juventus. He scored a hat trick against Spain at the World Cup but he failed to make an impression when Portugal lost to Uruguay in the round of 16.

Mbappe and Griezmann scored in the 4-2 World Cup final win against Croatia. Mbappe earned a domestic treble with Paris Saint-Germain. Griezmann also scored twice for Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final win against Marseille.

France coach Didier Deschamps said a France player should have won the award.

“They deserve it because of what they did with the national team at the World Cup and also because of the trophies they won with their clubs,” Deschamps said.

The 19-year-old Mbappe – the youngest player to score in a World Cup final – won the Raymond Kopa Trophy awarded to the best young player.

France Football magazine has been awarding the Ballon d’Or since 1956, and created a women’s award for the first time this year.

Hegerberg is a three-time Women’s Champions League winner with French side Lyon and scored a tournament-record 15 times last season.

“I want to say thanks to France Football. It’s a huge step for women’s football,” Hegerberg said. “I want to end this speech with a message to all young girls in the world. Believe in yourselves.”

The outspoken 23-year-old Hegerberg said she won’t play for Norway at the Women’s World Cup in France next June.

Taking a stand against what she describes as a lack of respect for female players in Norway, she hasn’t played for the national team since 2017 when it crashed out of the group stage of the Women’s European Championship without scoring a goal.

Speaking in an interview shortly before collecting her Ballon d’Or, Hegerberg told The Associated Press on Monday she has no plans to reconsider her decision taken to preserve her “authenticity and my values, as a person, as a footballer.”

“A lot of things need to be done to make the conditions better for women who play football,” she said. “It’s all about how we respect women’s football. I don’t think the respect has been there.

“Sometimes you have to take tough decisions to stay true to yourself. I let them know, quite clearly, what I found wasn’t working.” </s> PARIS (AP) — Luka Modric ended the long reign of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by winning the Ballon d'Or for the first time on Monday, while another first saw Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg win the inaugural's women's trophy.

Messi and Ronaldo had won every Ballon d'Or since 2008, and usually fought only each other for the greatest recognition among soccer's elite. Women's fight for recognition on the biggest stage took a big step with Hegerberg's award.

Modric won the Champions League with Real Madrid and then guided Croatia to the World Cup final in July. The midfielder was voted player of the tournament.

"As a kid we all have dreams. My dream was to play for a big club and win important trophies," Modric said. "The Ballon d'Or was more than just a dream for me and it is really an honor and a privilege to hold this trophy."

Ronaldo was second in the polling followed by France forward Antoine Griezmann. France's teen star, Kylian Mbappe, was fourth. Brazil star Neymar was third last year but only 12th this time. Messi was fifth in the voting, having been runner-up to Ronaldo the past two years and in the top three every year since 2007. Modric had never previously been in the top three.

"2018 is a dream year for me," the 33-year-old Modric said. "Throughout my career I realized hard work, persistence and belief in yourself in difficult moments are the foundations of success."

Modric's father was shown on the big screen wiping away tears during the ceremony at the imperious Grand Palais in Paris.

Ronaldo missed out on a record sixth award, which would have moved him one ahead of Messi. The last player to win it before those two started dominating world soccer awards was Brazil midfielder Kaka with AC Milan in 2007.

Ronaldo also won the Champions League last season with Modric, before leaving to join Juventus. He scored a hat trick against Spain at the World Cup but he failed to make an impression when Portugal lost to Uruguay in the round of 16.

Mbappe and Griezmann scored in the 4-2 World Cup final win against Croatia. Mbappe earned a domestic treble with Paris Saint-Germain. Griezmann also scored twice for Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final win against Marseille.

France coach Didier Deschamps said a France player should have won the award.

"They deserve it because of what they did with the national team at the World Cup and also because of the trophies they won with their clubs," Deschamps said.

The 19-year-old Mbappe — the youngest player to score in a World Cup final — won the Raymond Kopa Trophy awarded to the best young player.

France Football magazine has been awarding the Ballon d'Or since 1956, and created a women's award for the first time this year.

Hegerberg is a three-time Women's Champions League winner with French side Lyon and scored a tournament-record 15 times last season.

"I want to say thanks to France Football. It's a huge step for women's football," Hegerberg said. "I want to end this speech with a message to all young girls in the world. Believe in yourselves."

The outspoken 23-year-old Hegerberg said she won't play for Norway at the Women's World Cup in France next June.

Taking a stand against what she describes as a lack of respect for female players in Norway, she hasn't played for the national team since 2017 when it crashed out of the group stage of the Women's European Championship without scoring a goal.

After collecting her Ballon d'Or, Hegerberg told The Associated Press she has no plans to reconsider her decision taken to preserve her "authenticity and my values, as a person, as a footballer."

"A lot of things need to be done to make the conditions better for women who play football," she said. "It's all about how we respect women's football. I don't think the respect has been there.

"Sometimes you have to take tough decisions to stay true to yourself. I let them know, quite clearly, what I found wasn't working." </s> PARIS (AP) — Luka Modric ended the long reign of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo by winning the Ballon d'Or for the first time on Monday, while another first saw Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg win the inaugural women's trophy.

Messi and Ronaldo had won every Ballon d'Or since 2008, and usually fought only each other for the greatest recognition among soccer's elite. Women's fight for recognition on the biggest stage took a big step with Hegerberg's award.

Modric won the Champions League with Real Madrid and then guided Croatia to the World Cup final in July. The midfielder was voted player of the tournament.

"As a kid we all have dreams. My dream was to play for a big club and win important trophies," Modric said. "The Ballon d'Or was more than just a dream for me and it is really an honor and a privilege to hold this trophy."

Ronaldo was second in the polling followed by France forward Antoine Griezmann. France's teen star, Kylian Mbappe, was fourth. Brazil star Neymar was third last year but only 12th this time. Messi was fifth in the voting, having been runner-up to Ronaldo the past two years and in the top three every year since 2007. Modric had never previously been in the top three.

"2018 is a dream year for me," the 33-year-old Modric said. "Throughout my career I realized hard work, persistence and belief in yourself in difficult moments are the foundations of success."

Modric's father was shown on the big screen wiping away tears during the ceremony at the imperious Grand Palais in Paris.

Ronaldo missed out on a record sixth award, which would have moved him one ahead of Messi. The last player to win it before those two started dominating world soccer awards was Brazil midfielder Kaka with AC Milan in 2007.

Ronaldo also won the Champions League last season with Modric, before leaving to join Juventus. He scored a hat trick against Spain at the World Cup but he failed to make an impression when Portugal lost to Uruguay in the round of 16.

Mbappe and Griezmann scored in the 4-2 World Cup final win against Croatia. Mbappe earned a domestic treble with Paris Saint-Germain. Griezmann also scored twice for Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final win against Marseille.

France coach Didier Deschamps said a France player should have won the award.

"They deserve it because of what they did with the national team at the World Cup and also because of the trophies they won with their clubs," Deschamps said.

The 19-year-old Mbappe — the youngest player to score in a World Cup final — won the Raymond Kopa Trophy awarded to the best young player.

France Football magazine has been awarding the Ballon d'Or since 1956, and created a women's award for the first time this year.

Hegerberg is a three-time Women's Champions League winner with French side Lyon and scored a tournament-record 15 times last season.

"I want to say thanks to France Football. It's a huge step for women's football," Hegerberg said. "I want to end this speech with a message to all young girls in the world. Believe in yourselves."

The outspoken 23-year-old Hegerberg said she won't play for Norway at the Women's World Cup in France next June.

Taking a stand against what she describes as a lack of respect for female players in Norway, she hasn't played for the national team since 2017 when it crashed out of the group stage of the Women's European Championship without scoring a goal.

Speaking in an interview shortly before collecting her Ballon d'Or, Hegerberg told The Associated Press on Monday she has no plans to reconsider her decision taken to preserve her "authenticity and my values, as a person, as a footballer."

"A lot of things need to be done to make the conditions better for women who play football," she said. "It's all about how we respect women's football. I don't think the respect has been there.

"Sometimes you have to take tough decisions to stay true to yourself. I let them know, quite clearly, what I found wasn't working." </s> The Ballon d’Or 2018 marked precisely 10 years since Cristiano Ronaldo first scooped up the award in 2008, and for the next decade, the price was either taken by Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo himself. They both share five Ballons d’Or apiece but now that both players weren’t up to the mark during the World cup, It was expected that there will be a new champion. Back in 2007, It was Kaka who was the last player to win the award other than Messi or Ronaldo.

Thus Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric won the 2018 Ballon d’Or, becoming the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the award in more than a decade.

Modric, 33, won his third successive Champions League in May before helping Croatia to a first World Cup final.

Lionel Messi has failed to make the top three of the Ballon d’Or for the first time since 2007, finishing fifth in this year’s final vote.

As per the results, Ronaldo finished second this year. Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann finished third, a position ahead of his France team-mate Kylian Mbappe. Messi, who won a league and Copa del Rey double with Barcelona, ranked fifth. </s> Olympique Lyonnais and Norway forward Ada Hegerberg made history on Monday when she won the inaugural Ballon d’Or award for the best player in women’s football.

Hegerberg, who helped lead Lyon win the Women’s Champions League last season, said she hoped it would motivate young female players.

“Being historical and the first woman to win the Ballon d’Or is a huge moment in my life,” she added.

It is a fantastic day for women’s football... it is important to show young girls that they can believe in themselves and I hope they are inspired by this. They are the future.

“It is a fantastic day for women’s football… it is important to show young girls that they can believe in themselves and I hope they are inspired by this. They are the future.”

Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric was named the best men’s player of 2018 at the prestigious awards organised by France Football magazine.

The awards have existed since 1956 but had not previously had a women’s football category. </s> Ada Hegerberg put French musician Martin Solveig firmly in his place in a cringe-inducing moment after winning the inaugural Women’s Ballon d’Or award.

The Lyon and Norway striker had a remarkable 12 months for club and country and was rewarded at Monday evening’s ceremony in Paris, where Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric also lifted the men’s prize.

Hegerberg scored in this year’s Champions League final and seven of her Lyon team-mates were also among the nominees.

French DJ Martin Solveig – Nope, us neither – almost ruined Hegerberg’s night with an inexplicably sexist remark shortly after the forward collected her award.

Solveig stunned viewers by asking a visibly embarrassed Hegerberg if she wanted to twerk in celebration.

Thankfully, Hegerberg shut him down in style with a blunt response.

The Norwegian forward beat Denmark striker Pernille Harder and Germany midfielder Dzsenifer Marozsan to the prize who finished second and third respectively.

Lucy Bronze was the highest-placed England player and finished sixth in the ranking.

‘I want to say thanks to my team-mates because this would not have been possible without them, my coach or our president Jean-Michel Aulas,’ Hegerberg said after lifting the award.

‘I also want to thank France Football. This is a huge step for women’s football.’

MORE: Luka Modric wins 2018 Ballon d’Or to end Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi dominance </s> Sixty-two years after Stanley Matthews won the first Ballon d'Or the women's game has received its inaugural winner: not Australia's Sam Kerr but trailblazing Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg.

The three-time Women's Champions League winner with French side Lyon was named the world's best female player of 2018 at a gala in Paris on Monday.

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, meanwhile, whose heroics inspired Croatia's run to the World Cup final, was named men's player of the year, breaking a decade of dominance by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

A jury of 45 journalists picked the 23-year-old Hegerberg from among 15 nominees, including Matildas star striker Kerr who was fifth in the voting. </s> • Host DJ Martin Solveig has since apologised for his comment • Luka Modric won men’s award to break Ronaldo-Messi duopoly • The 100 best female footballers in the world 2018: part one

Luka Modric ended a decade of dominance by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the Ballon d’Or but the Croatian’s win was overshadowed when the inaugural winner of the women’s award, Ada Hegerberg, was asked to twerk live on stage by the host DJ, Martin Solveig.

The 100 best female footballers in the world 2018 Read more

Hegerberg, who helped Lyon to the French title and Champions League, scoring in the final, pipped Denmark’s Pernille Harder to the prize but appeared embarrassed when asked by Solveig if she wanted to dance in celebration and “knew how to twerk”.

The 23-year-old said “no” and seemed to attempt to leave the stage, before reluctantly agreeing to dance to another song with Solveig. Solveig tweeted shortly after the ceremony, saying he had apologised to Hegerberg for the remark.

“I explained to [Ada] and she told me she understood it was a joke,” Solveig wrote. “Nevertheless, my apologies to anyone who may have been offended. Most importantly, congratulations to Ada.”

The Norwegian forward said: “He came to me afterwards and was really sad that it went that way. I didn’t really consider it sexual harassment or anything in the moment. I was just happy to do the dance and win the Ballon d’Or.”

Play Video 1:01 Ada Hegerberg's Ballon d'Or triumph and fight for equality in football – video profile

Hegerberg added she was extremely proud to be named the first female winner. “It’s incredible,” she said. “This is a great motivation to continue working hard and we will continue to work together to win more titles. I wanted to end with some words for young girls around the world: believe in yourselves.”

Andy Murray was among those on social media who criticised Solveig’s comment, calling it “another example of the ridiculous sexism in sport.”

“What questions did they ask Mbappé and Modric?” the British tennis player added on Instagram. “I’d imagine something to do with football. And to everyone who thinks I’m overreacting and it was just a joke ... it wasn’t. I’ve been involved in sport my whole life and the level of sexism is unreal.”

Ada Hegerberg stepped forward for women’s football, but sexism kicked her back | Suzanne Wrack Read more

Modric won a third straight Champions League title and inspired his country to reach the World Cup final, and there are few who will begrudge his victory, with Ronaldo in second. Lionel Messi only came fifth, finishing behind France duo Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé – the first time since 2006 that the Argentina forward has not finished in the top three.

There had been a clue that there would be a new winner in the 63rd edition of this award – Blackpool’s Stanley Matthews was the first in 1956 – when neither Ronaldo nor Messi were present at the Grand Palais in Paris, although in typically humble fashion Modric admitted he had been pleasantly surprised to be recognised after being congratulated on his victory by Croatia president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.

Play Video 0:49 Luka Modric 'honoured' after winning men's 2018 Ballon d'Or – video

Having become the first teenager to score in a World Cup final since Pelé in 1958 as France won their second title in Russia, Paris Saint-Germain’s forward Mbappé was the runaway winner of the inaugural Kopa Trophy for the best player under the age of 21, ahead of Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold. Mohamed Salah finished in sixth place in the men’s award in recognition of his fantastic debut season at Anfield, in which he scored 32 Premier League goals and helped the team reach the Champions League final.

Quick guide Ballon d'Or: Full results Show Hide Men's award – top five 1) Luka Modric (Croatia and Real Madrid)

2) Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal and Juventus)

3) Antoine Griezmann (France and Atlético Madrid)

4) Kylian Mbappé (France and PSG)

5) Lionel Messi (Argentina and Barcelona) England's Harry Kane was 10th, Wales's Gareth Bale joint 17th Women's award – top five 1) Ada Hegerberg (Norway and Lyon)

2) Pernille Harder (Denmark and Wolfsburg)

3) Dzsenifer Maroszan (Germany and Lyon)

4) Marta (Brazil and Orlando Pride)

5) Sam Kerr (Australia and Chicago Red Stars) England's Lucy Bronze and Fran Kirby finished sixth and 14th Kopa award for best young player The inaugural award for the best under-21 player in the world was won by France and PSG forward Kylian Mbappé. The men's award: how the rest finished 6 Mohamed Salah 7 Raphaël Varane 8 Eden Hazard 9 Kevin De Bruyne 10 Harry Kane 11 N'Golo Kanté 12 Neymar 13 Luis Suárez 14 Thibaut Courtois 15 Paul Pogba 16 Sergio Agüero =17 Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale =19 Roberto Firmino, Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Ramos =22 Marcelo, Edinson Cavani, Sadio Mané =25 Alisson, Jan Oblak, Mario Mandzukic 28 Diego Godín =29 Isco, Hugo Lloris. Photograph: Aurélien Meunier/Getty Images Europe

Salah was the highest-ranked player from the Premier League, with Chelsea’s Eden Hazard eighth, Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City ninth and Tottenham’s Harry Kane – who won the Golden Boot in Russia – 10th.
In association football, Croatian midfielder Luka Modrić wins the Ballon d'Or and becomes the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the award since Kaká in 2007.