Liverpool, EPL Dominate 2019 Ballon D’Or Shortlist

Champions League winners Liverpool have the most players on the 2019 Ballon d’Or list from one club with Premier League champions Manchester City the next highest number with five.

Jürgen Klopp has seven of his men included on the 30-man shortlist.

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker, defenders Virgil Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum and strikers Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino all featured amongst the candidates when they were announced by France Football and L’Equipe on Monday evening.

Manchester City quintet Sergio Agüero, Bernardo Silva, Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez also made the list, as did Tottenham duo Hugo Lloris and Son Heung-min and there was a place too for Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Of the 30 players, 15 make a living in the English Premier League (EPL); La Liga 7; Serie A 3; Ligue 1 and Eredivisie have 2 each; Bundesliga 1.

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk are also among the 30 players named on the shortlist.

Ronaldo and Messi currently share the record for most Ballon d’Or wins with five apiece.

Luka Modric won in 2018 to end the seven-year dominance of the award by Messi and Ronaldo.

Luka Modric becomes the first player in history not to be present in the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or after winning the award in the previous year. 

In the women’s division, Megan Rapinoe who won the FIFA FIFPro Women’s Best Player Award in September finishing ahead of fellow USA international Alex Morgan and England’s Lucy Bronze (UEFA Women’s Player of the Year) is the favorite to win the award after the USA lifted the 2019 Women World Cup.

All three players are also nominated for the 2019 Women’s Ballon d’Or along with last year’s inaugural winner, Ada Hegerberg.

List of nominees for the award:

• Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
• Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
• Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
• Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
• Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)
• Alisson (Liverpool)
• Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus)
• Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
• Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool)
• Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
• Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona)
• Hugo Lloris (Tottenham)
• Dusan Tadic (Ajax)
• Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
• Kylian Mbappe (Paris St-Germain)
• Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)?????
• Donny van de Beek (Ajax)
• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
• Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)
• Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
• Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
• Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
• Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
• Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli)
• Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona)
• Mohammed Salah (Liverpool)
• Eden Hazard (Real Madrid)
• Marquinhos (Paris St-Germain)
• Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
• Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid)

By Gerald Dandah