On Monday evening in Paris, the 2019 "France Football" magazine-organized "Ballon d'Or" awards ceremony took place.
The main trophy - the "Golden Ball" - was won for a record sixth time by "Barcelona" club star Lionel Messi. He left behind the other two main candidates - Virgil van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo.
32-year-old Argentine football star Lionel Messi was considered the favorite from the start of the voting. The biggest competition for him was V. van Dijk, who won the UEFA Champions League with "Liverpool."
The defender stayed in second place, with Cristiano Ronaldo in third, and the top five concluded with the "Liverpool" attacking duo: Sadio Mane (4th) and Mohamed Salah (5th).
Behind these players were an additional 25 candidates, whose positions in the final "Ballon d'Or" voting rankings can be found at this link.
The best female footballer was recognized as American Megan Rapinoe. The newly established goalkeeper of the year award ("Yachine") went to "Liverpool" goalkeeper Alisson, and Matthijs de Ligt triumphed in the best young footballer selections.
The best goalkeeper of the year - Alisson ("Liverpool", Brazilian national team)
The best young footballer of the year - Matthijs de Ligt ("Juventus", Dutch national team)
The best female footballer of the year - Megan Rapinoe (USA national team)
