France star Antoine Griezmann insists he deserves to be on the podium for this year's Ballon d'Or after winning the World Cup and major silverware with Atletico Madrid. The finalists this year are Real Madrid's Luka Modric, Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah. Griezmann came third in 2016 behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the prestigious award, despite not winning anything.

Impressive year
But this season fortune has smiled on Griezmann, who starred in France's triumphant World Cup winning campaign in Russia after an impressive year at Atletico, who won the Europa League and UEFA Super Cup. "Comparing 2016 and this year, for me I have to be in the top three," Griezmann, 27, said. "In 2016, I lost two finals and was in the top three. This time I have won three finals."