France Football have announced the 2019 Ballon d'Or Nominees. The 30-man shortlist includes headliners Virgil van Dyk, Lionel Messi, and Ronaldo (his record-setting 16th straight) but also newcomers Sadio Mane and Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Seven Liverpool dominated the Ballon d'Or shortlist with six players among the final candidates. Ajax featured four players including Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, Donny van de Beek, and Dusan Tadic.
The names for the Ballon d'Or came out in groups with Sadio Mane, Sergio Aguero, Frenkie de Jong, Hugo Lloris, and Dusan Tadic featured in the first set.
The French football magazine took a pause after announcing the first twenty nominees before announcing the final ten. Here's the final list:
The final list of Ballon d'Or Nominees
Group 1
- Sadio Mane (Liverpool | Senegal)
- Sergio Aguero (Man City | Argentina)
- Frenkie de Jong (Ajax/Barcelona | Netherlands)
- Hugo Lloris (Tottenham | France)
- Dusan Tadic (Ajax | Serbia)
Group 2
- Kylian Mbappe (PSG | France)
- Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool | England)
- Donny van de Beek (Ajax | Netherlands)
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal | Gabon)
- Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona | Germany)
Group 3
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus | Portugal)
- Alisson Becker (Liverpool | Brazil)
- Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax/Juventus | Netherlands)
- Karim Benzema (Real Madrid | France)
- Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool | Netherlands)
Group 4
- Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool | Netherlands)
- Bernardo Silva (Man City | Portugal)
- Heung-min Son (Tottenham | South Korea)
- Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich | Poland)
- Roberto Firmino (Liverpool | Brazil)
Group 5
- Lionel Messi (Barcelona | Argentina)
- Riyad Mahrez (Man City | Algeria)
- Kevin de Bruyne (Man City | Belgium)
- Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli | Senegal)
- Antoine Griezmann (Atletico/FC Barcelona | France)
Group 6
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool | Egypt)
- Eden Hazard (Chelsea/Real Madrid | Belgium)
- Marquinhos (PSG | Brazil)
- Raheem Sterling (Manchester City | England)
- Joao Felix (Benfica/Atlético Madrid | Portugal)
Who will win the Ballon d'Or Trophy of 2019?
Luka Modric upset five years of Ballon d'Or dominance by Ronaldo and Messi last year by winning his first award.
Van Dyk, already 2019's UEFA Men's Player of the Year, could follow suit given his stellar defensive performances and a Champions League trophy.
The winner of the Ballon d'Or winner will be announced at a ceremony on December 2nd in Paris.
