Ballon d'Or 2019: Football personalities who have already named their favourites for this year's award

Modified Apr 23, 2019 11:43 GMT

The Ballon d'Or continues to be the most coveted individual award in football even as it has been monopolised by the genius of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for about a decade.

The talismanic pair has won the award a record five times each but chances of an unprecedented sixth Ballon d'Or last year were squandered by Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, who took home the prize for his contribution to Los Blancos' third consecutive Champions League title and Croatia's FIFA World Cup journey.

This year, France Football's coveted award has been pegged to return to familiar territory with Barcelona captain Messi among the major contenders. The Argentine talisman has been in scintillating form this season and has led Barcelona to the semi-finals of the Champions League and the finals of the Copa del Rey, with a potential La Liga title on the cards.

Messi boasts of 45 goals in 42 games in all competitions for the Catalan giants this season and the numbers look set to increase soon.

A number of football icons have made their prediction for this year's favourite with the likes of Eden Hazard and Sergio Ramos all thrown into the mix.

Here we take a look at four of those footballing personalities who have made their pick for this year's award:

#1 Luis Figo (Sergio Ramos)

Club Atletico de Madrid v Real Madrid CF - La Liga

Real Madrid legend Luis Figo believes current Los Blancos captain and defender Sergio Ramos deserves to win the Ballon d'Or while also highlighting the difficulty of lifting the prize as a defender.

He said, "It's clear that Sergio Ramos deserves to win the Ballon d'Or. Being a defender is almost like being a goalkeeper, it's a lot more difficult to win the award, but Cannavaro managed it.

"It depends on the moment, on the year, but for quality alone it's obvious that Ramos should win it," Figo added.

#2 Rivaldo (Lionel Messi)

Former Brazil and Barcelona striker Rivaldo has pegged Argentine ace Lionel Messi to win a record sixth Ballon d'Or based on his spectacular form this season.

He said, "He has been scoring goals, giving assists and being the top scorer in La Liga for a long time and I think what he has been doing in the Champions League means his merits should be recognised.

"He had a chance to score a bicycle kick [versus Man Utd] but it's not an easy one to take because you don't get those chances often in games. It was a good effort but it didn't quite come off. Even if he doesn't win the Champions League, however, he already deserves the Ballon d'Or."

The former Blaugrana star also expressed his desire to see Messi win the World Cup with Argentina saying, "It's impossible to describe Messi. I like him so much and I always say I feel so sad because he never won the World Cup with Argentina. It is an award he deserves because a world-class player like him must be a world champion."

#3 Leon Osman (Eden Hazard)

Chelsea v Slavia Praha - UEFA Europa League Quarter Final: Second Leg

Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman has opined that Chelsea ace Eden Hazard should be in contention for the Ballon d'Or and has expressed his disbelief at the Belgian's snub in recent years.

Osman said, "Oh, absolutely [he’s a potential Ballon d’Or winner Hazard]. It’s probably a surprise that he hasn’t managed to win it already."

When asked if that should be a surprise considering the competition from Messi and Ronaldo, the former Everton star said, "Yeah but even so, he has been absolutely sensational at times. Okay, he’s probably had a few dips, a few lapses in form and maybe the fact he hasn’t led Chelsea to European glory or his country to the Euros or World Cup successes is probably what has held him back.

"Certainly Ronaldo’s managed to do that and that’s probably why they end up getting the rewards.

"I don’t think he’s replaceable. I think it’s as simple as that. There’s only three or four players in world football that are his standard, consistently. Yes, he may not end up with the Premier League Player of the Season this season but over a number of years he’s showed what a top player he is."

#4 Jose Mourinho (Lionel Messi)

Former Manchester United and Real Madrid manager has pegged Lionel Messi to win this year's Ballon d'Or owing to his scintillating season and the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer in the UEFA Champions League.

Juventus crashed out of the European competition after facing defeat at the hands of a young Ajax side in their quarter-final fixture. Meanwhile, Barcelona progressed to the semi-finals of the competition after registering a thumping win over Mourinho's former club Manchester United.

Mourinho told Russia Today (via Marca), "Messi is having a phenomenal season and, with Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo out of this fight, he knows that the Ballon d'Or is there waiting for him."

On the Champions League favourites this season, the Portuguese said, "I would say they [Barcelona] are a bit more of a favourite than Liverpool, but I also think it's 50-50."

Edited by Nishant Jayaram