Dubai: The stage is set for Sunday’s 11th glittering Globe Soccer Awards at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai and all eyes will be on which of 2019’s star footballers will be crowned Best Men’s Player.
Among the nominees is five-time champion Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portugal captain and Juventus star striker who led the Italian champions to an eighth consecutive Serie A title in May.
He will face stiff competition as he is up against Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, who recently won the Fifa Ballon d’Or for a record sixth time - one more than Ronaldo.
Also up for the Best Player award are Liverpool striker Mo Salah and defensive mainstay Virgil van Dijk.
Up for the best club of the year are Ajax Amsterdam, who reached the Champions League semi-finals despite a mind-bogglingly young squad, Men’s European and Club World champions Liverpool, plus Women’s European conquerors Lyon.
Best coach nominees include Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, Ajax’s Erik Ten Hag and Portugal’s Fernando Santos.
And, for the first time, the Best Women’s footballer will also be crowned, with World Cup-winning United States pair Alex Morgan and Alex Rapinoe facing off with England’s Lucy Bronze and France’s Amandine Henry.
Other categories include Best Goalkeeper, Best Agent, Best Revelation, and Best Arab Player and Best Arab Club.
Previous winners of Best Men’s Player Award
2011 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
2012 – Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid)
2013 – Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich)
2014 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
2015 – Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
2016 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
2017 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
2018 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Juventus)
