From a boot perspective, the 2018 Ballon d’Or was won by Nike. Three of the top four finishers in voting sport the Swoosh, and Luka Modric (Mercurial Vapor XII) scooped the ultimate prize while Kylian Mbappe (Mercurial Superfly VI) nabbed the inaugural Kopa Trophy. To honor the achievements of its footballers, Nike has released a limited edition “Golden Touch” version of both boots.
After 10 years of nothing but Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has become the first player since Kaká back in 2007 to wrest football’s biggest individual accolade from the two behemoths of the modern game: The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner is Luka.
When it comes to transfer rumors and Paris Saint-Germain, you never get further than the superstar front three of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani.
First things first, I did not watch Manchester United vs. Everton today — I was watching El Clásico. So I’m not in a position to say anything about Paul Pogba’s performance in the 2-1 win, and I don’t want to come off sounding like Pogba-hater-extraordinaire Graeme Souness.
Arsenal’s 11-game winning run came to an end Sunday following a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. Luka Milivojevic scored twice from the spot for the home side, while Granit Xhaka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were in on the goals for the Gunners.
After Crystal Palace had taken the lead just before halftime, Arsenal answered through Xhaka in the 51st. Yes, the 26-year-old Swiss has a left foot like a hammer.
Arsenal’s second was pretty special, too. Alex Lacazette provided a Hand of God moment in the buildup.
During the 2016-17 Bundesliga season, Thiago Alcântara led all players with a pass success rate of 90.2 percent. During an injury plagued 2017-18 campaign, that number climbed to 91.8. Seven matches into the new season, he again sits at a success rate of 91.8. This is all to say that Thiago is an absolute monster when it comes to his passing technique and on-the-ball quality.
Shortly after capturing The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2018 award with 29.05 percent of the vote, Nike honored Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric with the Mercurial Vapor PE “Modric” boot. As the Nike press release detailed, “the boot’s full multi-chrome upper shines with an iridescent finish.” These are some gaudy boots.