A list of the purported 2019 Ballon d’Or winners has been leaked on social media, and the now viral screenshot shows Barcelona star Lionel Messi as the one topping it having reportedly secured his sixth prize, beating out Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk.
Messi is shown as the proud scorer of 446 points, with the Spanish star outpacing Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk by 64 votes for UEFA Men’s Player of the Year.
After scoring at the Wanda Metropolitano, Leo Messi has now scored at every current La Liga stadium 🏟️📍 pic.twitter.com/IUBmT6st2i
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 2, 2019
The Reds seem to demonstrate strong presence on the alleged award list, with Mohamed Salah rounding out the top three, much to the chagrin of Cristiano Ronaldo’s fans.
Messi to Ronaldo when he wins the Ballon d'Or on Monday pic.twitter.com/4aH8CNyn6x
— Barça Ball (@BarcaBall1) November 26, 2019
In the most surprising aspect of the bombshell revelation, the Juve star may be set to miss out on the first three spots, although the five-time winner has never finished lower than second over the last eight seasons.
Cristiano Ronaldo will not attend the Ballon d'Or ceremony tonight in Paris. Leo Messi and Virgil van Dijk will be present. pic.twitter.com/RLvsjSiIdu
— FutbolBible (@FutbolBible) December 2, 2019
The leaked list places Ronaldo fourth, with other names on the list being Kylian Mbappe, in seventh, Dutch footballers Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt eighth and ninth respectively. Real Madrid midfielder Eden Hazard is purported to round out the top 10.
Both football stars and the audience won’t have to wait long for the official results of the vote: the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris will host the landmark Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday evening.
Last year it was just the opposite as it was Messi who ended up excluded from the top three. Luka Modric came in first with Ronaldo in second, followed by World Cup winner Antoinne Griezmann, with the result failing to strike a chord with devoted Messi followers.
