Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or for a record breaking sixth time after an astonishing 2019 for the GOAT.
The Argentine has been in phenomenal form since returning from injury in September, scoring 11 times and grabbing eight assists for La Blaugrana. He was equally influential for Ernesto Valverde’s men last term, with Messi’s 73 goal-involvements during 2018/19 helping Barça to a fourth La Liga title in five years.
There have been several unforgettable moments for the South American this calendar year, including scoring his 600th goal for Barcelona with a mesmerising free-kick in the first leg of the club’s Champions League semi final meeting with Liverpool.
His glorious chipped goal versus Real Betis in March saw Messi named as runner-up in the FIFA Puskas Award, though no one was able to stop him winning the Best Male Player prize at the ceremony in Milan.
Though Virgil van Dijk has been a colossal figure in Liverpool’s backline, both he and Cristiano Ronaldo were overlooked by voters, the pair finishing second and third in the standings respectively.
The ceremony also celebrated Matthijs de Ligt, who won the aforementioned Kopa Trophy, for best U-21 player in 2018/2019. He had a fantastic season, which included a successful Champions League run with his former club Ajax, as well as reaching the Nations League final with the Netherlands.
Liverpool’s Alisson won the new award Yachine trophy for best goalkeeper. His achievements last season – including the Champions League and a Copa America title with Brazil – could not be ignored.
Here is France Football’s complete list in the men’s category:
28: Marquinhous
28: Joao Felix
28: Donny van de Beek
26: Georginio Wijnaldum
26: Karim Benzema
24: Kaliou Koulibaly
24: Marc-Andre ter Stegen
23: Hugo Lloris
22: Heung-min Son
20: Dusan Tadic
20: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
19: Trent Alexander-Arnold
18: Antoine Griezmann
17: Roberto Firmino
16: Sergio Aguero
15: Matthijs de Ligt
14: Kevin de Bruyne
13: Eden Hazard
12: Raheem Sterling
11: Frenkie de Jong
10. Riyad Mahrez
9. Bernardo Silva
8. Robert Lewandowski
7. Alisson
6. Kylian Mbappe
5. Mohamed Salah
4. Sadio Mane
3. Cristiano Ronaldo
2. Virgil van Dijk
1. Lionel Messi
David Kofi Tei
