'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What's the story?
The shortlist of nominees for the 2019 Globe Soccer Awards were announced on Monday and Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo notably features in the Player of the Year three-man list.
In case you didn't know...
The Globe Soccer Awards, organised by EFAA (European Association of Player's Agents) and the ECA (European Club Association), is an annual award ceremony recognising excellence in football.
The 10th edition of the awards will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where the world’s best players and coaches will come together to acknowledge the excellent performances of 2018.
The heart of the matter
Juventus ace Cristiano Ronaldo, Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe and Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann have been announced as the three nominees for Best Player of the Year at the 2019 Globe Soccer Awards.
Ronaldo is in the race to win the award for the third consecutive year. The Portuguese has been particularly recognised for his goal-scoring exploits for Real Madrid in 2018, scoring 28 goals before moving to Serie A giants Juventus over the summer.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has netted 10 goals for Juventus so far this season.
French duo Mbappe and Griezmann, on the other hand, played pivotal roles in France's World Cup winning squad as well as their clubs, netting 35 and 31 goals overall in 2018, respectively.
According to Globe Soccer, the five-man shortlist for Best Coach of the Year was also released and includes Jurgen Klopp, Zinedine Zidane, Didier Deschamps, Massimiliano Allegri and Diego Simeone.
The Best Agent category features Ronaldo's representative Jorge Mendes, Gareth Bale's agent Jonathan Barnett and Alisson Becker's Stefano Castagna.
What's next?
The trio nominated for the Best Player of the Year award are also nominated for the prestigious Ballon d'Or this year.
While the winner of the Ballon d'Or will be presented on December 3, the taker of this year's Globe Soccer Award will be announced on January 3, 2019.
