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This year's Ballon d'Or race has to be the best in the trophy's history. The duopoly of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is no more and last year's winner, Luka Modric is not even in the running.
Moreover, the others who are favourites right now are doing exceptionally well. In every single match they play, they put more pressure on the others, making the race even more interesting and close.
Last month's ranking saw Lionel Messi lose the top spot while Cristiano Ronaldo was out of the top 5. This month, there have been more changes to these two players' ranking and there is a good chance of them not winning the trophy once again.
Without further ado, here's a look at the Ballon d'Or ranking after the month of June.
PS: Any match that has been played or ended after June 30th, 23:59 GMT has not been added and will be calculated in next month's ranking.
#10 – Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe gets the biggest fall in the rankings this month. The PSG superstar was sitting comfortably at #5 for the last two months but has come down to #10 due to no fault of his.
The only reason why the Frenchman has fallen in the ranking is because he played just 3 matches in June. 2 of them were UEFA EURO 2020 Qualifiers while the other was a friendly against Bolivia.
In the two competitive matches, France lost one 2-0 to Turkey and won the 2nd 4-0 vs Andorra. Mbappe played the full match both times and managed to score one while assisting another.
The Frenchman will have to hit the ground running when the new season begins to get his ranking up again as the others above him are all collecting points by playing competitive football this summer while he is on vacation.
#9 – Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane was ranked at #9 last month, and he remains in the same spot. He started the month of June by winning the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool. While the forward did not contribute a goal or an assist in the match, it was his shot/cross that hit Sissoko on the arm and led to the penalty.
The Senegal star is now leading his nation in the Africa Cup of Nations and will be hoping to win it. He played one game in the tournament in June but did not end up on the winning side as Senegal lost 1-0 to Algeria.
Mane has had a good year so far and will be hoping to continue his form in both the Africa Cup of Nations and in the Premier League when it begins. He's slowly climbing up the order but is not expected to finish on the podium this year.
#8 – Mohamed Salah
Unlike his Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah sees his ranking take a hit. The Egyptian was ranked at #7 last month but has taken a step down to #8 this month despite doing well in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Salah played as many as 6 matches in June, scoring 3 goals and assisting none. The Liverpool star scored from the spot in the UEFA Champions League final to hand them the lead early in the game but could not add to it.
He played a friendly before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations but only came on as a substitute for the last 30 minutes. In the tournament, however, he has played 3 games so far and scored twice.
The forward would be trying his best to win the tournament for them, and if he does, it will help him take a giant leap in the ranking and make it to the top 5 next month.
#7 – Raheem Sterling
Just like Kylian Mbappe, Raheem Sterling sees a huge drop in his ranking. The Englishman was ranked at #4 last month but has come down to #7 because of the other players' performances and his own struggles.
In the month of June, Sterling played just two matches but both were massive ones. The first one was a UEFA Nations League semi-final against The Netherlands and he could not help his side win. England lost 3-1 and Sterling was unable to score or assist in the match.
The other match was a 3rd place play-off and he fired blanks in it as well. England drew 0-0 vs Switzerland but won the match in the penalty shoot-out.
Sterling would be hoping to continue his form for Manchester City from last season when the Premier League kicks off in August but it looks like he will be getting a drop in his ranking next month as well as he will only be involved in club friendlies.
#6 – Cristiano Ronaldo
The first player to see a jump in his ranking this month is Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar played 2 matches in June but the two were big ones and he was influential in both.
Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League to take his side into the finals. The goals came against a resilient Swiss side that was clearly punching above its weight.
In the finals, however, Ronaldo could not do much and was unable to score or assist. His teammates managed to get past the rock-solid defence of The Netherlands and squeeze out a 1-0 win to become the first-ever UEFA Nations League winners.
Ronaldo will be back in action for Juventus in August under their new manager, Maurizio Sarri. His ranking is bound to go down next month as 2 players beneath him in the ranking are playing in the Africa Cup of Nations and have a chance of moving up.
#5 – Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard got his dream move to Real Madrid in June but that does not get him points in the Ballon d'Or rankings. The Belgian sees his ranking drop from #3 to #5 as he was not able to collect enough points in June.
Hazard was involved in two matches with Belgium and they came out 3-0 winners in both. The former Chelsea man managed to assist two goals (one in each) but did not find the back of the net.
Real Madrid have a lot of hopes riding on him and if he manages to start the season well, he will become a top contender for the trophy once again. He has had a great year so far with Chelsea, getting them into the Champions League next season and also winning the UEFA Europa League.
He will be involved in friendlies in July so his ranking might take a hit.
#4 – Alisson Becker
One player who was lingering around the top 10 but never quite managed to make it in was Alisson Becker. The Brazilian goalkeeper has had a stellar year but was unable to squeeze into the rankings because of the weightage given to the outfield players.
However, with a clean sheet in the Champions League final and an impressive display in Copa America so far, Alisson has jumped up in the rankings and has made it to the 4th spot out of nowhere.
Alisson played 6 matches in June and managed to keep a clean sheet in every single game. The goalkeeper last conceded a goal at Newcastle United on May 5th, and that was the only match in which someone managed to score past him in that month.
A Copa America win and a good start to the season will be enough to make people think twice before voting for Messi or Virgil Van Dijk – the two who are the favourites to win this year.
#3 – Lionel Messi
From #1 to #3 in the space of two months. Lionel Messi might have had a very good season with Barcelona but his performance for Argentina has just not been up to the mark. The standards set by the legend for himself have not been met and that sees his ranking take a hit.
Messi played 4 games in the month of June but did not manage to score or assist a single goal any of them. Argentina have progressed into the semi-final of Copa America but the contribution of Messi, compared to the other Argentine players, has been minimal.
This is just a small bump in the road for Messi, who still remains one of the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or this year. Top players still believe that he deserves the award but based on the points right now, he sits at #3 in our ranking.
#2 – Bernardo Silva
If you thought Alisson Becker's jump from outside the top 10 to #4 was impressive, think again. Bernardo Silva was also outside the top 10 before the start of June but has made it to the #2 spot.
The Portuguese star won the domestic treble with Manchester City along with the Community Shield in the 2018/19 season and then topped it off with a stunning display for the national side in the UEFA Nations League. The midfielder helped them win the tournament as well and finished the season with 4 major trophies and a Community Shield.
The midfielder has a long way to go before winning the Ballon d'Or or making it to the podium this year but for now, he sits at #2. He will only be involved in friendlies in the month of July and thus his ranking will take a hit and he might be out of the top 5 as well.
#1 – Virgil Van Dijk
Only player apart from Sadio Mane who has maintained his ranking this month is Virgil Van Dijk. The Dutch defender has been in incredible form this year and has helped his side a lot.
With Liverpool, he finished runner-up in the Premier League before winning the Champions League. With The Netherlands, he took them to the UEFA Nations League final but came up short at the final hurdle.
Van Dijk might see his ranking go down next month if Messi does well in Copa America but apart from that, there is no real threat for him right now.
His Liverpool teammate, Alisson Becker is the only one who can come close but unless he does exceptionally well in the semi-final and the final (if Brazil make it) of Copa America, he cannot overtake Van Dijk in the ranking.
