"I could not do more" - Ex-Real Madrid star Raphael Varane provides response when asked if he could've won Ballon d'Or in 2018
Former Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane believes he did everything he could have to win the 2018 Ballon d'Or. Varane recently made an appearance on The Bridge, a football talk-show co-hosted by Los Blancos midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.
Varane achieved a unique double in 2018, winning the UEFA Champions League with Madrid and the FIFA World Cup with France. He spoke about that period, telling talk-show host Sebastien Abdelhamid (via French Football Weekly):
"If I felt like I could take it (the Ballon d'Or)? It was a year when, individually and collectively, everything had succeeded. The Champions League journey was crazy. We beat all the champions of the other championships (PSG in 1/8th, Juventus in 1/4, Bayern Munich in 1/2, Liverpool in the final)."
"We succeeded in winning the Champions League three times in a row when everyone wanted to beat us … Afterwards, there is the World Cup … anyway, I could not do more."
The former defender added:
"This is not my post, this is not what I brought, but in my register and what I can do, I was at the top. I couldn't do more."
Varane was a key figure in Real Madrid’s third successive Champions League triumph in the 2017-18 season. He was also a stalwart of France’s back-line in the World Cup, where he helped carry Les Bleus to their second-ever title. Despite that accomplishment, he came seventh in the Ballon d’Or voting as his then-Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric won the coveted award.
Luka Modric praises Real Madrid teammate, says he will win Ballon d'Or multiple times
Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has praised striker Kylian Mbappe, saying the Frenchman will win the Ballon d'Or several times.
Speaking about Mbappe, Modric said (via GOAL):
"He’s one of the best players in the world. He has the ability to do things that have never been seen before. What has impressed me most about Mbappe is his personality, his way of being..."
"From the outside, you might say he hasn’t had his best season, but he’s scored over 30 goals. Imagine if it was his best season... I’m sure he’ll be one of the favourites to win not just one Ballon d’Or, but several."
Kylian Mbappe has turned heads with 30 goals in 43 appearances this season and is a candidate to win this year's Ballon d’Or. He will be looking to help Real Madrid in achieving a treble, with the club still contending for La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League.
