The annual Ballon d’Or awards the best footballer in the world and is often considered the most credible authority on determining the best player in the world.
The Ballon d’Or had been merged with FIFA’s best player award for 5 years between 2010 and 2015, but has been operating on it’s own since 2016.
Luka Modric (Croatia, Real Madrid) is the current holder of the award, winning it after his terrific performances in Real Madrid’s 2018 Champions League win and Croatia’s surprise run to the 2018 World Cup Finals.
Nominees
(Men) Prediction in bold
- Virgil van Dijk: Netherlands (Liverpool)
- Bernardo Silva: Portugal (Manchester City)
- Son Heung-min: South Korea (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Robert Lewandowski: Poland (Bayern Munich)
- Roberto Firmino: Brazil (Liverpool)
- Alisson: Brazil (Liverpool)
- Matthijs de Ligt: Netherlands (Ajax, Juventus)
- Karim Benzema: France (Real Madrid)
- Georginio Wijnaldum: Netherlands (Liverpool)
- Sergio Aguero: Argentina (Manchester City)
- Frenkie de Jong: Netherlands (Ajax, Barcelona)
- Hugo Lloris: France (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Dusan Tadic: Serbia (Ajax)
- Cristiano Ronaldo: Portugal (Juventus)
- Kylian Mbappe: France (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Trent Alexander-Arnold: England (Liverpool)
- Donny van de Beek: Netherlands (Ajax)
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: Gabon (Arsenal)
- Marc-Andre ter Stegen: Germany (Barcelona)
- Sadio Mane: Senegal (Liverpool)
- Lionel Messi: Argentina (Barcelona)
- Riyad Mahrez: Algeria (Manchester City)
- Kevin de Bruyne: Belgium (Manchester City)
- Kalidou Koulibaly: Senegal (Napoli)
- Antoine Griezmann: France (Atletico Madrid, Barcelona)
- Mohamed Salah: Egypt (Liverpool)
- Eden Hazard: Belgium (Chelsea, Real Madrid)
- Marquinhos: Brazil (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Raheem Sterling: England (Manchester City)
- Joao Felix: Portugal (Benfica, Atletico Madrid)
(Women)
- Lucy Bronze: England (Lyon)
- Ellen White: England (Manchester City)
- Sam Kerr: Australia (Chicago Red Stars)
- Nilla Fischer: Sweden (Wolfsburg)
- Amandine Henry: France (Lyon)
- Alex Morgan: United States of America (Orlando Pride)
- Vivianne Miedema: Netherlands (Arsenal)
- Dzenifer Marozsan: Germany (Lyon)
- Pernile Harder: Denmark (Wolfsburg)
- Sarah Bouhaddi: France (Lyon)
- Megan Rapinoe: United States of America (Reign FC)
- Lieke Martens: Netherlands (Barcelona)
- Sari van Veenandal: Netherlands (Atletico Madrid)
- Wendie Renard: France (Lyon)
- Rose Lavelle: United States of America (Washington Spirit)
- Marta: Brazil (Orlando Pride)
- Ada Hegerberg: Norway (Lyon)
- Kosovare Asllani: Sweden (CD Tacon)
- Sofia Jakobsson: Sweden (CD Tacon)
- Tobin Heath: United States of America (Portland Thorns)
The Men’s Ballon d’Or has been won by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi 10 times in the last 11 years, with Luka Modric winning the award last year.
This is only the second time that a women’s Ballon d’Or will be awarded, with the first going to Norway and Lyon star Ada Hegerberg.
Where to Watch?
- Where will the Ballon d’Or ceremony take place?
The Ballon d’Or ceremony will happen in the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, France.
- When is the Ballon d’Or ceremony taking place?
The Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place 2 December with a start time of 19:30 GMT, which is 3 December, 1AM IST.
- Where can I watch the Ballon d’Or ceremony live streaming online?
The live streaming of the Ballon d’Or ceremony will be available on France Football’s Website.
In India, it is being broadcast live on Star Sports Select 1.
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