Ballon d'Or 2019: Nominees, previous winners, date, India time, where to watch and live streaming info

Bengaluru, December 2: On Monday (December 2), the biggest names in world football will gather in Paris for the prestigious annual Ballon d'Or 2019 ceremony.

Th 64th edition of the award ceremony, will see ever present duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi battle it out for their sixth career honour along with 28 other nominees, who will be voted for by 180 journalists from around the world.

Last year, Croatia's Luka Modric ended a decade long domination by Messi and Ronaldo, who had won the Ballon d'Or five times each. Modric had won last year thanks to his exploits in guiding his country to the World Cup final and winning the Champions League with Real Madrid.

And, this year, Messi is the favourite to win, but Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is expected to give the Argentine a close fight. Van Dijk played a vital role as Liverpool won the 2018-19 Champions League, producing several standout performances at the heart of Jurgen Klopp's defence en route to the title.

The Dutch star was pipped to The Best FIFA Men's Player award by Barcelona star Messi, who will surely be Van Dijk's biggest competition for the Ballon d'Or having inspired a Barca side many consider underwhelming to the league title last season. So, Van Dijk will hope to beat Messi to the Ballon d'Or 2019.

Here is all you need to know about Ballon d'Or 2019:

When and where is Ballon d'Or 2019 ceremony happening?

The 2019 Ballon d'Or ceremony will take palce on December 2 at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. The official ceremony will start around 19:30 GMT (1:00 AM, December 3, IST).

Where to watch Ballon d'Or 2019 in India?

Star Sports Select 1 and Star Sports Select 1HD will telecast the event live in India. Meanwhile, HotStar will live stream the event.

Nominees for 2019 Ballon d'Or

Previous winners (From 2000)