Ballon d'Or 2019: Looking at the early leading candidates

#2 Antoine Griezmann

Antoine Griezmann's form is key as Atletico de Madrid look to take home Europes biggest prize

Antoine Griezmann has long been touted as a player who could win the Ballon d'Or, and the Frenchman finished third in last years voting, collecting a career-high 414 votes. At 27, Griezmann is entering the peak years of his career, and due to the emergence of Kylian Mbappe, Griezmann may feel as though he only has a short window of opportunity to win the annual award.

In light of this, Griezmann has started the year well, striking seven times in La Liga while also cementing his status as one of the best creative forwards in world football. Atletico Madrid are also on the verge of dumping Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus out of the Champions League and come December, Atletico's European success could be a major factor in Griezmann realizing his dream of winning the Ballon d'Or.