With Luka Modric's victory in the 2018 Ballon d'Or, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's duopoly has finally been broken.

The Croatian's advocates were delighted that his ability in the middle of the park has now gained proper recognition, but his triumph wasn't universally well-received. 

Indeed, the rankings caused quite a stir, particularly with Lionel Messi ranked a lowly fifth. 

If arguably the greatest player of all time is not even in the top three, then serious questions have to be asked about how the award is measured. 

Ronaldo, who has won the accolade a joint-record five times, finished as runner-up, with World Cup winners Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe following in behind. 

Yet it takes quite a bit of scrolling to find Neymar all the way down in 13th. 

The irony will not be lost on most fans - he left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in a bid to step out of Messi's shadow and become the best in the world. 

The Brazilian had an impressive debut season in the French capital, chipping in with 19 goals and 13 assists in Ligue 1. 

There was a time when it was assumed the 26-year-old was the heir apparent to Messi and Ronaldo, but his failure to lead Brazil past the World Cup quarter-finals this summer and his venture to a significantly weaker league have damaged that reputation somewhat. 

At PSG, however, he is still held in the highest regard, with Gianluigi Buffon insisting Neymar should have won a Ballon d'Or by now, if there was any justice. 

Buffon's message to Neymar 

The goalkeeper told Italian outlet Corriere della Sera:

"I played with a lot of champions and I wanted to play with everyone, even with him [Ronaldo].

“But in Paris it's not like there are not champions. Mbappe and Neymar have that kind of pedigree.

"I tell Ney that it's a scandal that has not yet won the Ballon d'Or and that he should be furious. 

"He and Kylian have a disproportionate talent and can dominate for ten years.”

The highest Neymar has finished so far is third, though an obvious gap will emerge once Messi and Ronaldo eventually bow out of the game. 

Buffon himself has played with some legendary figures, but he might struggle to find many who agree with his opinions on his current team-mate, even if the forward is having another decent campaign. 

Neymar probably has a little way to go before he can be considered the best in the world - and whether that involves a move away from PSG remains to be seen. 

Should Neymar have won a Ballon d'Or? Have your say in the comments.