Premier League stars dominate Ballon d'Or shortlist
FIFA announced the 30 man shortlist for this year’s topmost individual prize the Ballon d’Or with the Premier League contributing to half the 30 man tally. Top contenders Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and, arguably the best defender in the world right now, Virgil Van Dijk naturally made the list.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool had an outstanding last season winning the UEFA Champions League against domestic rivals Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid. Not only did they win the European crown but the Reds came millimetres to winning the Premier League as well. The Reds managed to win 97 points but Manchester City did them one better and clinched the title with 98 points. This had led in a total of 7 Liverpool stars named in the shortlist reported the BBC.
Virgil Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Georginio Wijnaldum and Alisson all represent Merseyside. Premier League teams dominated the list with 15 players out of the 30 man shortlist currently playing in England. Manchester City have 5 players in that list with Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez, Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero all making the cut.
Hugo Lloris and Heung Min Son join them but Harry Kane was omitted from the list despite having an amazing season where he finished with 24 goals in 40 games for the North Londoners despite injury issues. The other North London side and Europa League finalists Arsenal also have one man representing them in the list via Pierre Emerick Aubameyang who scored 31 goals in 51 appearances for Gunners.
La Liga clubs saw a sharp decline in the number of players in the shortlist this year with 7 compared to last year’s 13 with Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi making the cut after yet another incredible season. The Argentine is a top contender to win his sixth Ballon d’Or and finished last season with 50 appearances, 51 goals and 22 assists for teammates.
Apart from Messi, Frenkie de Jong, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Antoine Griezmann all made the shortlist but De Jong and Griezmann made it for their performances with former employers Ajax and Atletico Madrid respectively. Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard also feature in the list and Atletico’s Joao Felix made the cut as well. 5 time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has been selected along with Juventus team-mate Matthijs de Ligt.
Last season’s surprise package in the UEFA Champions League Ajax have seen 2 of their current players being shortlisted- Donny Van de Beek and Dusan Tadic. PSG’s Marquinhos and Kylian Mbappe feature as well. Some of the biggest absentees are PSG’s Neymar, Ajax’s Hakim Ziyech and French midfielder Paul Pogba. The prestigious prize will be announced on December 2 in Paris at the FIFA gala.