Messi in tight race

It would be an enormous shock if Megan Rapinoe does not depart the Chatelet Theatre, the biggest prize in women's football, as she returns to France for the 2019 Ballon d'Or awards ceremony.She was the driving force on and off the field for the United States, as they retained their Fifa Women's Wold Cup title earlier this year in Paris. The suspense surrounds the identity of the men's winner, 12 months after Croatia's Luka Modric claimed the crown thanks to his exploits in dragging his country to the World Cup final and winning the Champions League with Real Madrid. That ended a decade in which Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had won the Ballon d'Or five times each, but the smart money now is on the Barcelona man claiming number six. There are 30 nominees in total for the prize, organised by France Football magazine and voted for by 180 journalists from around the world. Among the names is Ronaldo, as well as several of the stars of the Liverpool side who won the Champions League, chief among them Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk. At one point he looked like the favourite, but Messi already pipped him to Fifa's The Best title in September. The 32-year-old top-scored in La Liga last season with 36 goals, as Barcelona won the title. He did not have a great Copa America with Argentina, but his genius is undeniable. “If you give the Ballon d'Or to the best player of this generation, then you should give it always to Lionel Messi. That's how it is,” admitted Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. “But if you give it to the best player of last season, then it was Virgil van Dijk. I don't know exactly how it will work, but that is how I see it.” The value of individual honours in football is debatable, and the timing unsatisfactory, coming midway through the European club season. Yet surely nobody could suggest Rapinoe would not be a deserving winner of just the second women's Ballon d'Or, an award voted for by a panel of 48 journalists. Norway's Ada Hegerberg won it in 2018, but will not retain her title after missing the World Cup. Among the stars of that tournament to be nominated are England's Lucy Bronze, Netherlands striker Vivianne Miedema, Australia's Sam Kerr and the United States trio of Alex Morgan, Rose Lavelle and Tobin Heath. However Rapinoe, the 34-year-old feminist icon and outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump, should add this honour to those of Golden Boot winner for top scorer and Golden Ball for best player at the World Cup. Even her supposed rivals seem to be rooting for her. “She does lots of things off the pitch, but I think she is the favourite to win the Ballon d'Or, mainly due to her performances during the World Cup,” Bronze told France Football. NAMPA/AFP

Messi in tight race

Kommentaar

Republikein 2025-08-05

Meld asseblief aan om kommentaar te lewer

Messi in tight race

Kommentaar

Republikein 2025-08-05

Meld asseblief aan om kommentaar te lewer

MELD AAN

Advertensie