The 2019 Ballon d'Or will be awarded on December 2, 2019 (Monday). It is an annual football award presented by France football to the player who has performed the best over the course of the entire year. The award was based on voting by the journalists between 1956 to 2006 and after 2007, coaches and captains of national teams were also given a right to vote. Ballon d’Or is being awarded since 1956, although between 2010 and 2015, an agreement was made with FIFA and it was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year and was known as FIFA Ballon d’Or. As the Ballon d’Or 2019 ceremony is scheduled to take place next week, we take a look at some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the prestigious award. Kylian Mbappe Says Lionel Messi Is Favourite to Win Ballon d’Or 2019.

Luka Modric won the prestigious award last season thus ending the dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Ballon d’Or awards between 2008 to 2018 were won by these two players. However this season Leo Messi once again looks the favourite to take this award home with Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk looking as his closest competitor. The Argentine was crucial in Barcelona’s domestic title win while van Djik was integral in Liverpool’s Champions League success. Before the 2019 Ballon d’Or winner is announced we look at some questions related to the annual award. Cristiano Ronaldo Should Not Win Ballon d’Or, Feels Iker Casillas.

Who Won the 2019 Ballon d'Or?

The 2019 Ballon d’Or will be announced on December 2, 2019 and will be awarded by France Football to the best player of the year.

Who Has the Most Ballon d'Or?

Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have won the award a record five times each. Followed by Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco Van Basten with three awards each.

Who Is the Winner of Ballon d’Or 2018?

Luka Modric of Real Madrid won the 2018 Ballon d’Or ending the ten-year dominance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. This was Luka Modric’s first-ever Ballon d’Or award.

How Ballon d'Or is Voted?

The Ballon d’Or is awarded based on the votes by Journalists and national team coaches and captains, who select the player they deemed to have performed the best during the course of the entire year.

Is Ballon d'Or Real Gold?

Ballon d’Or consists of two hemispheres of Brass which are welded together by a goldsmith with a blowtorch. During the final stages of preparing the Ballon d’Or trophy, it is submerged in melted gold.

What is the Difference Between FIFA Best Player and Ballon d Or?

The main difference between the awards is who offers the award. FIFA best player is awarded by FIFA while the Ballon d’Or is awarded by France Football. However, between 2010 and 2015, an agreement was made between FIFA and France Football to combine the two awards, which was known as FIFA Ballon d'Or.

Can Messi Win Ballon d'Or 2019?

Leo Messi was instrumental in Barcelona’s La Liga title win and was the highest goal-scorer as well as the highest assist provider in Spain’s domestic league. The Argentine had 56 goals and 21 assists in 60 matches last season which makes him one of the front-runners to win this award.

The 2019 Ballon d'Or will be the 64th annual ceremony of the Ballon d'Or, and the ceremony is to be held on December 2, 2019 (Monday). Many big names are nominated for this award including the regulars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Antoine Griezmann as well as some youngsters such as Joao Felix, Trent Alexander Arnold, Frenkie de Jong and Mattijs de Light.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 26, 2019 05:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).