The reason I agree with u/LordXavier77 is that in all the Messi/Ronaldo years, there have been better players than Modric. Xavi+Iniesta just mention the most obvious, both had better years throughout that period, than Modric did in 2018. Both in terms of individual perfomances and team-trophies. So it was political that they decided that year to exlcude Messi/Ronaldo - it would have been more deserving at many other years to give to others, for instance Iniesta in 2010, just to name the for me most obvious. They gave it to Modric because he was the best for Croatia which were the biggest overachievers at that WC. Nothing else.

In regards to the CL 2018 win, which is the main other merit mentioned besides the good Croation WC; in the whole campaign he scored once and assisted once. 0 of them where in 2018 (all the later stages). He had Casemiro and Kroos to handle the defensive/box-box duties and his main role were creating chances. He was good. But not french baloon good. In that campaign Kroos, Ramos and even Ronaldo were better. And in the league Kroos was a monster. It just seems silly that they almost solely give the trophy to the best player at the WC in WC years - there’s another throphy for that!