- A 30-man shortlist for the 2019 Ballon d'Or award was released on Monday, October 21
- The list was dominated with Premier League players, with seven of Liverpool's being nominated
- Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will once again be gunning for the prestigious award
A 30-man shortlist for the 2019 Ballon d'Or award has already been released and big names who could have potentially won the gong are missing.
While the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and others being among notable footballers vying for the podium, 2018 winner Luka Modric was uncharacteristically missing.
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar was also omitted for the first time in many years owing to his dip in form occasioned by long spells on the sidelines.
Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante, Liverpool's wing-back Andrew Robertson and Atletico Madrid shot-stopper Jan Oblak were also not nominated.
Prolific striker and Tottenham forward Harry Kane also failed to make the shortlist despite his consistency in the Premier League and Champions League with Spurs.
Meanwhile, TUKO.co.ke had earlier reported that ex-Chelsea star Didier Drogba revealed he is supporting Sadio Mane, Mo Salah to win 2019 Ballon d'Or.
The Liverpool pair is among five African football stars who made the nomination list for the prestigious award.
