Luka Modric (left) collects his World Cup Golden Boot award, while Kylian Mbappe wins young player of the tournament
Luka Modric (left) collects his World Cup Golden Boot award, while Kylian Mbappe wins young player of the tournament

World Cup 2018: Croatia's Luka Modric wins Golden Ball


He may not be getting his hands on the World Cup trophy, but Luka Modric has won the Golden Ball award for the best player of the tournament.

The Croatia midfielder played in his side's 4-2 defeat to France in Sunday's final, which capped off an entertaining tournament in Russia.

The Real Madrid star could be backed at 66/1 with Sky Bet in April to win the award.

Modric, 32, made a big impression on the world stage this summer, being instrumental during their clean sweep of wins in Group D and smashing a long-range stunner against Argentina. He then helped Croatia overcome a one-goal deficit to beat England 2-1 in extra-time and qualify for their first World Cup final.

Eden Hazard was second in the Golden Ball vote, with Antoine Griezmann third.

France star Kylian Mbappe, meanwhile, got the young player of the tournament version while Belgium's Thibaut Courtois - available at 33/1 with the online bookmaker just three days ago - was the winner of the Golden Glove.

Meanwhile, Harry Kane was the winner of the Golden Boot award, after scoring six goals for England en route to the semi-final. The 24-year-old was available at 25/1 in November with Sky Bet to win the award - read more here.

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Page last updated at 1900 BST on 15/07/2018

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