The Barcelona star is head-to-head with his old foe and the new pretender, once again, for the right to be crowned best in the world
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk are among the 30 nominees for the 2019 Ballon d'Or as they contest the crown of best player in the world.
Barcelona captain Messi is in the hunt for his sixth Ballon d'Or, having last won the accolade in 2015, and will be hoping to add it to his collection after already scooping FIFA's The Best award in September.
Juventus forward Ronaldo, whose last Ballon d'Or triumph came in 2017, could also potentially win the award for the sixth time, while Van Dijk, if he is chosen, would become the first defender to win it since Paolo Cannavaro in 2006.
The nominees were confirmed by in October and the winner of the prestigious award is set to be announced at a ceremony which takes place on December 2.
Real Madrid playmaker Luka Modric broke a decade-long duopoly between Messi and Ronaldo when he won the 2018 edition, but the Croatia international has not been included in the 2019 list of nominees.
Other nominees for the 2019 Ballon d'Or include Liverpool stars Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, who were massively influential in the Reds' Champions League success.
Manchester City stars Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling have made the list after leading Pep Guardiola's side's charge for domestic glory.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker are also nominated having starred for Liverpool and Brazil, while Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe is in the running after a goal-laden campaign for the Ligue 1 champions.
The award, which is independent of FIFA since 2016, takes into account the performances of a player for the calendar year rather than the previous season.
You can see all the confirmed nominees for the 2019 Ballon d'Or in the full list of contenders below:
Getty Images1Marc-Andre ter Stegen | Barcelona | GermanyTer Stegen lifted the Liga trophy with Barcelona as the club's first-choice shot-stopper.AdvertisementGetty Images2Marquinhos | PSG | BrazilThe defender enjoyed another formidable campaign as he won Ligue 1 with PSG and the Copa America with Brazil.Getty Images3Joao Felix | Benfica/Atletico Madrid | PortugalThe young Portugal international completed a €120m move to Atletico Madrid after impressing hugely with Benfica, following a season where he scored 20 goals and won the Primeira Liga.Getty Images4Raheem Sterling | Manchester City | England
The young England winger seems to be improving with every season at the Etihad and 2018-19 proved no exception as he scored 25 goals and won the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.