As 2019 has started and it still may be early until the event held in December, the Ballon d’Or – which is the fight for the 6th win against Lionel Messi and Ronaldo but some speculate that Neymar depending on if he wins UCL and Copa America winning for Brazil should be a definite chance for the Brazilian Football star.
It does come down to what teams win the UCL, If Juve was to become winners then Ronaldo would bag the Ballon d’Or trophy. Liverpool winning the UCL would have likely help Salah win the trophy. The competition has some serious competitors Mohammad Salah that’s if he rediscovers his form from last season.
Being the football year with many events taking place and new, upcoming stars that have been underdogs like Neymar, Mbappe and Griezmann which all have shots at becoming the trophy holders, but the players will know their Ballon d’Or could be viewed by their’ Champions League performances. Kylian Mbappe being just 19 years old with finishing fourth last year on the rankings – he’s already achieved more than most people will in five lifetimes.
Uruguay striker, Luis Suarez is another contender to beat his last year’s position at 13th – Last season saw him score twice in the World Cup semi-finals and score 25 in 2017-18 La Liga season, He for sure has a chance of becoming top ten. As he is overshadowed on his performance by Messi – he is still considered an important factor to Barcelona, since his move in 2014. Same with the Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard, he has had a strong year.
Neymar, the forward now playing for PSG for the sole reason to escape Messi’s shadow. Being injured in Ligue 1 against Marseille, that could have snubbed his win or even top 10. The 12th placed position was maybe because of his performance during his World Cup. Inspiring Copa America campaign in 2019 could make him a favourite player to win the Ballon d’Or. His brilliant performance against Liverpool on Match Day 5 – as he is the key man for PSG. He is a definite player to consider when thinking about the top 10 places in 2019.
Finishing, Lionel Messi is still the top contender to win his 6th Ballon d’Or. The forward won for Barcelona in La Liga – despite Argentina’s unfortunate campaign in Russia which may have affected the vote. As always Ronaldo is the favourite to win as he has shown his ability with an excellent start, scoring 9 goals with 4 assists for the Italian team Juventus F.C. Lionel Messi starting his year off with 15 goals and 6 assists – it really is 50/50 with these two talented athletes.