Before Ballon d'Or 2019, leaked table shows Lionel Messi beating van Dijk & Ronaldo to win

The Ballon d’Or award is set to be announced on Monday, December 2, 2019 (December 3, 1 am according to IST) by France Football. While there have been many speculations over the winner of the accolade, an image has appeared which has created controversy. The leaked image mentions Lionel Messi as the Ballon d’Or winner.

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Virgil van Dijk is one of the favourites to win Ballon d'Or 2019

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is also considered as one of the favourites for the award. The Dutch International was phenomenal last season, having won the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool. He was also the finalist of the UEFA Nations League with the Netherlands national team, subsequently losing out to Portugal.

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Lionel Messi has the most points in the leaked Ballon d'Or 2019 list

The leaked image shows Lionel Messi as the player with the most points, followed by Virgil van Dijk. Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is seen on the third spot and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has slipped to the fourth spot. Lionel Messi scored 51 goals in 50 matches last season, while assisting on 22 occasions. He won the LaLiga with Barcelona and was the top scorer in the league.

Mohamed Salah is placed third in the leaked Ballon d'Or 2019 point list

Mohamed Salah scored 27 goals, while also assisting 13 goals for Liverpool. He was instrumental in Liverpool’s Champions League triumph last season. Cristiano Ronaldo scored 28 goals in all competitions last season, while also bagging 10 assists. He won the Serie A with Juventus, and was also crowned as the Most Valuable Player of the season by Serie A.

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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have won five Ballon d'Ors each

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are currently tied on five Ballon d’Ors each, but according to the leaked image, Messi could be set to win his sixth in Paris on Monday. Media reports last month had claimed that Messi had already been told that he has won the Ballon d’Or, with rumours of a delegation said to have visited the Argentine in Spain. If Lionel Messi wins the award, it would turn out to be a huge blow for Van Dijk, who had won the UEFA Player of the Year Award for his phenomenal performance in the Champions League.

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