5 early favorites for Ballon d'Or 2019

The most prestigious individual award in football, Ballon d'Or is presented annually by France Football to the player deemed to have performed the best over the year. The duopoly of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi winning the Ballon d'Or ended in 2018 when Luka Modric deservedly won the prestigious award. Ronaldo came second and was followed by Atletico ace Antoine Griezmann. Kylian Mbappe and Messi came 4th and 5th respectively.

With no World Cup this year, players will be solely judged on there performance within club football. Having said that, some player will get an opportunity to represent themselves in Copa America or UEFA Nations League Finals depending on their countries.

Though currently there are no clear leaders yet with 1/3rd of the current season still left, there are some early favourites for the prestigious trophy.

Below are the five favourites for Ballon d'Or 2018-:

#5 Neymar

Neymar joined Paris Saint-Germain to become a genuine contender for the Ballon d'Or. Despite being injured for the last 2 months, Neymar has had a fantastic start to the season. Having racked up 20 goals and 8 assists in only 23 matches, the Brazillian still has a good chance to win the 2019 Ballon d'Or. PSG are expected to win there domestic league and have a good chance to win their first ever Champions League title.

Having beaten Manchester United in the first leg, PSG is favourite to reach UCL Quater Final. Neymar is expected to return around the first leg of their UCL Quater Final. With PSG defence far from capable of keeping the best teams at bay, they will need to outscore other teams to succeed, and that is one scenario in which Neymar is much better than many of its contemporaries.

Neymar also has a chance to win the Copa America for Brazil as they are the favourites to win the trophy in front of their home crowd.

Matches Played: 23

Goals: 20

Assists: 8