Luka Modric has been crowned the Ballon d Or winner for 2018, beating Cristiano Ronaldo and Antoine Griezmann to claim the prize on Monday.

The Croatia midfielder was the star of the show in his country s run to a first ever World Cup final this year, while he played a major role in Real Madrid winning a third consecutive Champions League crown.

Modric s win ends a decade of dominance for Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who had won the Ballon d Or five times each over the past 10 years.

Omnisport takes a look at the Opta numbers for 2018 to see how each of Griezmann, Ronaldo and Modric made it into the top three for the Ballon d Or.

Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)

Atletico Madrid s Europa League hero Griezmann was the first player to sc…

Cedric Soares hopes his big-match experience from the Euro 2016 final will serve him well when Southampton face Manchester United with the EFL Cup trophy on the line.

The two teams meet at Wembley on Sunday as English football s first major honour of the season is decided.

Defender Cedric played as Portugal caused a major shock against France in the final of last year s international tournament and now hopes to experience similar emotions against United.

Playing in the Euro 2016 final was very important for me and my career, he told Southampton s website.

It is a game that I will always remember. These kind of games make you stronger as a player, make you more prepared for matches where the pressure is so high. 

It is amazing. To be playing t…

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes if Manchester City are found guilty of breaching the Premier League s financial rules, that it should be reflected in their punishment.

The independent hearing, which started last month, is anticipated to last approximately two months, although the verdict is not expected to be made public until early next year.

If found guilty, the sternest punishment is relegation, while points deductions and fines are also potential penalties.

City have been charged with breaking financial fair play (FFP) rules, with the breaches allegedly going back over a decade.

The Citizens were charged with 54 counts of failing to provide accurate financial information from 2009-10 until 2017-18, while also failing to provide accurat…

LA Galaxy clinched their first playoff berth since 2019 after Javier Hernandez earned them a late penalty to secure a 1-1 draw away to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

Douglas Costa converted the 68th-minute penalty won by Hernandez, after Riqui Puig had his 17th-minute spotkick saved by RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath.

RSL had gone ahead in the 25th minute from Sergio Cordova s header, but were left to lament Justen Glad failing to convert two late golden opportunities from headers, denting their playoff hopes and extending their winless run to five games.

Ex-Manchester United forward Hernandez earned Galaxy s reprieve after review when bundled over by Marcelo Silva inside the box, with Costa sending MacMath the wrong way.

The draw was enough for the Galaxy, who a…

There really shouldn’t be only one win separating these two teams. The Texans got a shock win over Jacksonville in Week 1, the same week as the Bills lost a tight game to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since then, things have reverted to what we expected before the season, the Bills have put in some great performances while the Texans have gone from bad to worse.

You can’t get involved on the action this weekend unless you’ve studied our NFL picks and predictions for the Houston Texans vs Buffalo Bills on Sunday, October 3.

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We’ve had a week in between Championship games to prepare for Super Bowl 56 which features the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams. The Cinderella Bengals are fresh off a 27-24 OT victory on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs, their resiliency and second-half comeback securing them a spot in the Big Game. 

As for the Rams, they knocked off the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 20-17, where they too sported a 10-point fourth-quarter comeback to play in the Super Bowl on their home field. The way both teams have gotten to this point makes combining our favorite wagers into a single-game parlay bet even more fun.

Here’s a look at our favorite Bengals vs. Rams SGP picks based on current Super Bowl odds. One parlay is a more conservative play, while t…

A Super Bowl berth is on the line at Lincoln Financial Field this weekend as the Philadelphia Eagles are set to host the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

There are many stars on each side of the ball for these teams, but I’ll put the spotlight on Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown to have a big day. Here are my three favorite A.J. Brown props for this matchup, and be sure to also check out Jason Logan’s full 49ers vs. Eagles betting preview and our NFC Championship player props before kickoff!

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Our heads are still spinning from a wild and whacky NFL Sunday and NFL odds heap on the opening spread and Over/Under totals for Week 7.

This will be a difficult week to navigate, given the number of wonky results to weigh in addition to several big-name injuries throughout the league. Sunday night’s opening NFL Week 7 odds could look very different when these lines close next weekend.

However, the mission is still clear: get the best number for our opinion. 

I give you some NFL picks to make now and some you’ll want to wait on until later for Week 7.

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With the Kansas City Chiefs locked into the No. 3 spot in the AFC, Andy Reid will be sitting a handful of key starters, including Patrick Mahomes, making Sunday’s season finale an AFC West battle between Blaine Gabbert and Easton Stick. The Chargers are 3.5-point favorites in the NFL odds at SoFi Stadium. 

The Chargers were +13 home dogs vs. the Bills just two weeks ago and although Kansas City is sitting significant starters, is it really worth 16 points and do bettors want to lay -3.5 points with Stick and the Chargers? 

I break down the Week 18 NFL odds and offer my free NFL picks for Chiefs and Chargers on January 7. 

Chiefs vs Chargers odds

Chiefs vs Chargers predictions

I …

Finding the best value on NFL odds has become just a little bit easier, as most sportsbooks routinely offer odds boosts and betting promotions on select betting markets.

These specially curated promos range from sportsbook to sportsbook, offering users enhanced prices on props, totals, futures, plus popular parlays — or enticing new users to create an account at a new sportsbook.

Boosts are often time-sensitive, with release times (and expiration dates) being quite spontaneous; it can be tedious to go to every different sportsbook and search for the best bonuses of the week, so we have you covered — we’ve compiled a list of the best Week 2 odds boosts for making your NFL picks!

The following promotions are available in eligible U.S. loc…