The dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the Ballon d'Or has finally ended, with Luka Modric taking home France Football's 2018 prize.
Starting in 2008, great rivals Messi and Ronaldo had combined to account for the honour in 10 consecutive years.
Yet Modric's role in guiding Croatia to the World Cup final and Real Madrid to Champions League glory saw him rewarded, breaking up the monopoly that began after Kaka's sole win.
Much has changed since Milan's Brazilian midfield star was victorious...
Kaka's year
Champions League triumphs have tended to heavily influence voters for this award and Kaka's role in the 2006-07 final made him the obvious candidate later that year. The midfielder played a role in both goals as Milan defeated Liverpool 2-1, avenging their penalty shoot-out defeat from two years previously.
Kaka thrived in the absence of departed team-mate Andriy Shevchenko and would collect the FIFA World Player of the Year and FIFPro World Player of the Year awards to go with the Ballon d'Or in a year that ended with Milan winning the Club World Cup.
Kaka had the world at his feet as he dismantled Manchester United and then Liverpool, but Madrid never really saw the best of the Brazil international after he became the latest 'Galacticos' signing two years later. A short stop back at Milan followed, before an ageing Kaka played out his career with Sao Paulo and Orlando City.
Alicia Keys' No One moved to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 the day before Kaka's triumph, staying at the summit until the end of the year. She has not been back to number one since and, until now, no-one could get in the way of Messi and Ronaldo.
Disney's Enchanted was the highest grossing film in the United States that week in 2007 and leading actress Amy Adams has fared rather better than Kaka in the intervening years, even if she is yet to claim an Academy Award, Hollywood's own Ballon d'Or.
Vladimir Putin was Time magazine's Person of the Year.
