10 Players Who Could Win The World Cup 2018 Golden Ball Award

4. Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal

Could this be Ronaldo's year? The Portuguese captain and Real Madrid icon is a footballing legend, widely-regarded as the most complete player to ever step foot on a pitch. His remarkable level of physical conditioning has allowed the 33-year-old to retain his lethal finishing skills and brilliant pace despite being at an age where many players are starting to think about retirement.

He helped Portugal to win Euro 2016 and will be going into this tournament with even more confidence than usual, but he has struggled at previous World Cups. In spite of his status as one of the best players of all time, Ronaldo has only scored three World Cup goals against relatively lowly opposition.

He's still played well in general and played important parts in some of Portugal's big games, but a man with his scoring record will be hoping to do better and really compete for individual awards like the Golden Boot and Golden Ball.