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prestigious
The Ballon d'Or is the most coveted individual prize in football. Legends such as Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho have previously earned the prestigious golden ball with Messi holding the record, along with Cristiano Ronaldo, for the most Ballon d'Ors at 5 each.
Despite this, neither of them have won it in 2018. This is due to a certain Luka Modric who won the best player award last year after several impressive performances at the World Cup and in the Champions League which he won for the third time in a row.
However, Modric himself seemed to suffer from the pressure of his Ballon d'Or win and therefore struggled to hit same heights in 2018-19 which led to his Ballon d'Or win. As a result of his poor performances, Modric failed to reach the top three for this year's award.
Instead, the man joining Ronaldo and Messi in the top three this year is, Virgil van Dijk. This comes after a colossal season with Liverpool where he won the Champions League and finished second in the Premier League in which his side recorded just one loss. The Dutchman also holds the record for the most games without being dribbled past with 50. This alone makes Van Dijk a likely winner for the 2019 Ballon d'Or.
Battle with the best
He is joining two of the best players in the history of football and also two names that have consistently won and finished in the top three of the competition for over a decade. Messi and Ronaldo. Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed another fantastic season, scoring 79 goals between them.
However, most of the 79 goals were contributed by Messi and by most, a sensational 51. Moreover, Messi enjoyed a sublime season last campaign which has proved many critics wrong after the Argentine finished outside of the top 3 of the Ballon d'Or for the first time in 2018. It is clear that Messi was out to prove a point last season and it's fair to say he did exactly that, recording 73 goal contributions.
On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo endured a frustrating season compared to his usual standards. The Portuguese international failed to win the Serie A Golden Boot having only scored 21 goals which placed him fourth and behind the likes of Fabio Quagliaraella and Duvan Zapata. Furthermore, even though Ronaldo won more trophies than Lionel Messi last season, his performances, in general, were no match to the Argentine magician's.
To add to this, many people have questioned Ronaldo's place in the top three after he was outscored by the likes of Kyllian Mbappe who scored a stunning 39 goal last season. Mbappe's stats alone make you question, why isn't he in the top three instead of Ronaldo?
To conclude, it looks as though the main front runners for the 2019 Ballon d'Or is van Dijk and Messi. When you compare the two players seasons, they are fairly similar and it is hard to pick a winner. However, Van Dijk did knock Messi out of the Champions League last season and go on to win it. Could Van Dijk defeat Messi yet again and end the dominance of the attackers in the Ballon d'Or and become the first defender to win it since Fabio Cannavaro in 2006?
