Ballon d'Or 2019: Van Dijk finishes second, Messi sixth

Virgil van Dijk finished second behind Lionel Messi in the 2019 Ballon d'Or rankings, with Cristiano Ronaldo completing the podium.

The Dutch defender was the favourite to win the award after helping Liverpool win the Champions League and Premier League Golden Boot, but ultimately Messi's Copa America triumph with Argentina proved decisive.

Messi's victory means he is now level with Ronaldo on six Ballon d'Or awards, while Van Dijk's second-place finish is the highest ever by a defender.

Other notable performers in the top 10 included Sadio Mane (4th), Mohamed Salah (5th), Bernardo Silva (8th), Riyad Mahrez (9th), and Robert Lewandowski (10th).

The full top 10 is as follows:

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina)
2. Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool and Netherlands)
3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus and Portugal)
4. Sadio Mane (Liverpool and Senegal)
5. Mohamed Salah (Liverpool and Egypt)
6. Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain and France)
7. Alisson Becker (Liverpool and Brazil)
8. Bernardo Silva (Manchester City and Portugal)
9. Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City and Algeria)
10. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich and Poland)

The Ballon d'Or is awarded by France Football magazine to the player who is considered to have performed the best over the previous year.

The award is voted for by a panel of journalists from around the world, who each select their top five players.