World football will crown a new king for 2019 on Monday when Lionel Messi, Virgil van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo go head-to-head in the hope of winning this year’s Ballon d’Or.
Barcelona star Messi, 32, is the favourite to win the award for the first time since 2015.
Paris Saint-Germain ace Kylian Mbappe is also fighting to make the Ballon d’Or podium for the first time in his career, but titleholder Luka Modric failed to make the 30-man shortlist this year.
Antoine Griezmann has finished third in two of the past three Ballon d’Or votes, but the France international could struggle to feature as prominently on Monday after struggling for form since joining Barca in the summer.
France Football live-streamed the awards ceremony in 2018 and is expected to do so again for this year’s edition, which is expected to begin at around 5:30 p.m. GMT (12:30 p.m. ET).
Preview
It seems odd to think Messi stands a chance of ending a four-year Ballon d’Or drought, having failed to even finish among the top three in 2018 and placing second in successive years prior to that.
