Football news - Luka Modric win a brief lull in Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's domination

Barack Obama was not the US president the last time Messi or Ronaldo failed to lift the Ballon d’Or. That applies to 2007 – when Kaka won the prize – but for those being smart, it also applies to 2018, when Modric – once a goat herder – finally trumped the ‘GOATs’ after 10 longs years of dominance.

Modric is deemed a worthy winner by many, though Ronaldo – who finished second this year – will hardly agree, nor the ever-modest Antoine Griezmann, who was adamant a French player should have won after their World Cup-winning exploits.

The Atletico Madrid striker finished third, perhaps surprisingly ahead of compatriot Kylian Mbappe, who set the World Cup alight in the knockouts, inspiring France to victory over Argentina before becoming the second teenager after Pele to score in a World Cup final.

Mbappe is surely a future Ballon d’Or winner, while Griezmann would have to do wonders to top the bill, but Messi’s placing of fifth shows the old guard will not go quietly, even if it was the Argentine’s lowest placing since 2006 – where he finished joint 20th along with Juninho, Luca Toni, John Terry and Gianluca Zambrotta.

Messi is now 31. Ronaldo, 33. In normal circumstances we would say their time is up, and even, perhaps, start applying the veteran tag as part of a second reference. But these two are not normal. And some would argue they are not even human.

Neither player looks like they will fade away any time soon. Far from it, in fact, and while other players their age are pondering moves to the MLS, China or the Middle East, Messi remains Barcelona’s crown jewel, while Ronaldo is proving to be a Juventus icon after 10 years at Real Madrid.

And while it would be rather poetic for the duo to ride off into the sunset together with five Ballon d’Ors apiece, it feels as though there is at least one more duel in store before the sun goes down on this remarkable era.

Modric may have pipped the two this year, but Messi and Ronaldo are still the benchmark, the duo to beat. It would take another extraordinary season from someone else to topple them, and prove that Modric’s win has sparked the dawn of a new era, as opposed to being just an anomaly.

Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Neymar look well placed to be in the mix, but their hopes next year no doubt rest on how the club fare in the Champions League.

The Ballon d’Or winner has won the trophy in the past five years, and it is difficult to see that trend not following on in 12 months’ time.

That is, unless, Manchester City win, for it is difficult right now to single out one player among Pep Guardiola’s myriad of stars. For sure, David Silva stands out, so too Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling, but it’s a testament to City’s strength, and a celebration of team over individual, that it would be difficult to definitively say Silva is the best player in the world.

A City Champions League triumph could play into either Ronaldo or Messi’s hands, while of course European glory for either Juventus or Real Madrid would make it a banker. But therein lies the mystery of the season that is still to unfold.

On the night of the 2018 winner being announced, we have started thinking about 2019. The countdown is on, and it’s up to the others to chase Messi and Ronaldo down.