World Cup Betting Odds: Luka Modric 2/1 to be crowned Player of the Tournament

The battle to be crowned Player of the Tournament took another turn as Croatia upset the odds to knockout England in their semi-final clash.

That result has seen Luka Modric cut from 7/1 (8.0) to just 2/1 (3.0) by William Hill to win the Golden Ball award.

The 32-year-old is the heartbeat of Croatia's team and having scored twice in the competition so far, Modric is seen as the nearest rival to Kylian Mbappe who has emerged as the leading contender to win the coveted award.

Mbappe's performance against Argentina which included two goals as well as winning the penalty for Les Blues' opener is still the standout display of Russia 2018 and it’s unsurprising to see the 19-year-old in pole position to pick up the prize given his emergence on the international stage over the past month.

Despite not scoring, another impressive showing in the semi-final against Belgium means the Paris Saint-Germain forward remains the man to beat and is priced at 10/11 (1.91) with William Hill.

Neither player were frontrunners before the competition got underway with Mbappe around the 33/1 (34.0) mark before a ball was kicked and Modric generally available at 66/1 (67.0).

Unlike the Golden Boot which is decided on a single factor, the Golden Ball is a much more subjective award and therefore remains a much more interesting betting heat. 

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A group of FIFA delegates decide a shortlist which is then voted on by members of the media.

The latest Golden Ball odds at William Hill see Antoine Griezmann priced at 9/1 (10.0) ahead of teammates N’Golo Kante (12/1) and Paul Pogba (16/1). Eden Hazard (25/1) is the shortest priced player not to contest Sunday’s final in Moscow.

Uruguay’s Diego Forlan did win the Golden Ball in 2010 despite not playing for either finalist but a repeat seems unlikely to be the case this time around given the number of players in with a chance, particularly for France.

Winning the final isn’t a must though; Lionel Messi (2010), Zinedine Zidane (2006) and Oliver Khan (2002) have all being voted the best player in a tournament despite being on the losing side.

Get the latest World Cup odds with William Hill