Messi World’s Best Footballer : Beats Van Dijk, Ronaldo To Win Ballon d’Or 2019

PARIS : Barcelona Forward Lionel Messi lifted award for the best of best in football - the Ballon d’Or, beating Liverpool’s leading nominees and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The prestigious award comes after he scored 54 times for the club and country in 2018 -19, in which Barcelona won La Liga.

Dutchman Virgil van Dijik finished second while Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the award five times, was placed third.

Among women, US icon Megan Rapino won the Ballon d’Or beating England defender Lucy Bronze to a second.

Messi who laid up his title on a table on the podium with the rest of his five tittles said, “Today is my sixth Ballon d’Or. It is a completely different moment, lived with my family and my children.”

Messi’s win also means the award has been won by a player from Spain’s La Liga in each of the last 11 years, including last year’s winner Luka Modric, who broke the 10-year Mess-Ronaldo monopoly on the prize.

The Ballaon d’Or ceremony ws held in the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Monday, 2 Dec.

MALE NOMINEES :
Sadio Mane (SEN/Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (ARG/Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (NED/Barcelona), Hugo Lloris (FRA/Tottenham), Dusan Tadic (SER/Ajax), Kylian Mbappe (FRA/PSG), Trent Alexander-Arnold (ENG/Liverpool), Donny van de Beek (NED/Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (GAB/Arsenal), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (GER/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (POR/Juventus), Alisson (BRA/Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (NED/Juventus), Karim Benzema (FRA/Real Madrid), Georginio Wijnaldum (NED/Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (NED/Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (POR/Manchester City), Son Heung-min (KOR/Tottenham), Robert Lewandowski (POL/Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (BRA/Liverpool), Lionel Messi (ARG/Barcelona), Riyad Mahrez (ALG/Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (BEL/Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (SEN/Napoli), Antoine Griezmann (FRA/Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (EGY/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Real Madrid), Marquinhos (BRA/Paris-SG), Raheem Sterling (ENG/Manchester City), Joao Felix(POR/Atletico Madrid)

FEMALE NOMINEES :
Sam Kerr (AUS/Chelsea), Ellen White (ENG/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (SWE/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (FRA/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(ENG/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (NED/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (GER/Lyon), Pernille Harder (DEN/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (FRA/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (NED/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (NED/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (FRA/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (BRA/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (NOR/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (SWE/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (SWE/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)

LIST OF PAST WINNERS

Tags :