Croatian captain Luka Modric is being backed in to challenge for the Ballon d’Or.

Cristiano Ronaldo is odds-on to take a record breaking sixth Golden Ball – considered the biggest individual honour within the game.

Nobody other than Ronaldo or Lionel Messi has taken the prize since 2008, but now midfield ace Modric is being tipped to challenge his now former Real Madrid team-mate.

Modric – who has played a huge part in Real Madrid’s three successive Champions League titles – has guided his country to the World Cup final, and victory over France could see him challenge.

Unibet now make Modric 5/1 second favourite, but Ronaldo is still 1/5 to take the title.

“In the wake of leading Croatia to their first ever World Cup final, Luka Modric’s Ballon d’Or odds have been slashed dramatically, coming in from as big as 16/1 before the semi final win over England, into 10/1 on Wednesday at the beginning of the day to an incredibly shortened 5/1 after the victory,” Unibet spokesman Alistair Gill commented.

“It has to be noted that this is in all likelihood no more than an interesting tit bit behind the main story of Cristiano Ronaldo running away with a another Ballon d’Or, the Portuguese currently a 1/5 shot.

“The fact his World Cup went no further than Messi (12/1) and far shorter than 3^rd favourite Kylian Mbappe, priced at 10/1, not seeming to put off traders or punters, as the money keeps coming and the odds keep shortening for the new Juve player who seemingly is nowhere near the decline his age would have us expecting.”