2019 Ballon D’Or: Leaked Ballon D’Or Rankings Confirms Lionel Messi As Winner

An image has surfaced online which is claimed to be leaking the winner of the 2019 Ballon d’Or before its official announcement in Paris today (Monday).

The Barcelona forward is favorite to win the award for a record sixth time but faces competition from Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.

In the image shared on Twitter, Messi tops the voting with 446 points to van Dijk’s 382 in second. The voting for the award has already been cast, but it is unclear whether the list is official or not. The picture is of a document which claims to show the voting scores for each player in the top ten places.

And it has Barcelona star Messi way ahead at the top – meaning he would be named the best player on the planet for the sixth time in his career. That would see the 32-year-old again move clear of his long-standing rival Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of the number of times they have each scooped the honor.

Currently, they are tied on five apiece, but Messi could be set to gain the upper hand when the award is announced in Paris on Monday. There were claims last month that the Argentine has already been told he has won, with a delegation said to have visited him in Spain to bring him the news.

READ ALSO: Messi Is The Number One In Everything And He Deserves The Ballon D’or – Mbappe

But should Messi emerge triumphantly, it would be a blow for Van Dijk, who is now widely regarded as the best defender in world football.

Since signing for the club from Southampton almost two years ago, Van Dijk has transformed the defense at Anfield and helped lead them to two successive Champions League finals.

In 2019 alone he has won the Champions League with Liverpool, secured runners-up in the Nations League with Holland and been instrumental in helping his club side move well clear at the top of the Premier League.

❗There is a ‘leaked Ballon d’Or rankings’ list leaked by an anonymous source earlier on Twitter today, in which Messi wins the award. pic.twitter.com/Uifzhxa5ov

— Barca Universal (@BarcaUniversal) November 30, 2019

Van Dijk’s Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah is listed in third, just ahead of five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo. Sadio Mane makes up the top five in the list, while PSG star Kylian Mbappe is down in seventh.

The award celebrates the best footballer in the calendar year and is voted on by journalists from around the world out of a shortlist of 30 players.

Messi and Ronaldo have won the award more times than any other player, but their 10-year dominance was broken last year by Real Madrid’s Luka Modric.

Following Liverpool’s Champions League success van Dijk was touted for the award, but bookmakers still feel Messi will triumph, and have priced him at odds of 1/9.

Credit: The Sun