Who Should Be In The Ballon d'Or 30 Man Shortlist Based On Statistics

Virgil van Dijk might be favourite to win the Ballon d'Or in December but according to the stats the Dutchman is 29th on the list.

On Monday France Football announced the 30 man shortlist for this year's Ballon d'Or and after an incredible year the Liverpool defender is expected to win the award.

However if it were just based on the average rating statistics, supplied by WhoScored.com, then the Reds' defender would be 29th on the list, with Lionel Messi walking away with his sixth Ballon d'Or.

1. Lionel Messi - Barcelona - 8.35 average match rating

Another incredible year for Messi in which he won another European Golden Shoe. Image: PA Images

2. Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich - 7.98

3. Kylian Mbappe - PSG - 7.79

4. Raheem Sterling - Manchester City - 7.77

Sterling gets a kiss from Pep Guardiola after his first Champions League hat-trick on Tuesday. Image: PA Images

5. Cristiano Ronaldo - Juventus - 7.72

6. Alejandro Gomez - Atalanta - 7.71

7. Angel di Maria - PSG - 7.66

8. Thiago Alcantara - Bayern Munich - 7.59

9. Jadon Sancho - Borussia Dortmund - 7.56

Sancho is one of the hottest properties in world football. Image: PA Images

10. Sergio Aguero - Manchester City - 7.55

11. Nicolas Pepe - Arsenal/Lille - 7.54

=. Edin Dzeko - AS Roma - 7.54

13. Kevin de Bruyne - Manchester City - 7.53

With injuries behind him De Bruyne is one of the best in the world. Image: PA Images

=. Karim Benzema - Real Madrid 7.53

15. Eden Hazard - Real Madrid/Chelsea - 7.51

16. Joshua Kimmich - Bayern Munich - 7.50

17. Duvan Zapata - Atalanta - 7.49

Zapata was Serie A's second top scorer last season. Image: PA Images

18. Luis Suarez - Barcelona - 7.48

=. Sadio Mane - Liverpool - 7.48

20. Ricardo Pereira - Leicester City - 7.47

21. Filip Kostic - Eintracht Frankfurt - 7.44

22. Erick Pulgar - Bologna/Fiorentina - 7.41

=. Trent Alexander-Arnold - Liverpool - 7.41

Alexander-Arnold is worth being on the list for this moment alone. Image: Champions League/BT Sport

24. Nabil Fekir - Real Betis/Lyon - 7.40

25. Daniel Parejo - Valencia - 7.39

=. Wout Weghorst - Wolfsburg - 7.39

=. Bernardo Silva - Manchester City - 7.39

28. Kingsley Coman - Bayern Munich - 7.38

29. Virgil van Dijk - Liverpool - 7.37

30. Mo Salah - Liverpool - 7.36

After a year in which he helped Jurgen Klopp's side transform into title contenders, who finished second in the league by a point and became European champions, whilst also helping Netherlands to the Nations League final, it's unlikely that Van Dijk will get beaten to the award.

Should he win, despite the statistics suggesting he shouldn't, he'll be the first player to win football's most prestigious title since Fabio Cannavaro captained Italy to World Cup success in 2006.

Can anyone beat Van Dijk?

Topics: Football News, Robert Lewandowski, World Football, Lionel Messi, Premier League, England, Ballon d'Or, Virgil Van Dijk, Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo, Raheem Sterling

Ryan Sidle

Ryan is a writer for SPORTbible. He covers all sport from football, formula one, cricket, rugby, tennis, athletics, mma and wrestling. He obviously hates YOUR football team and has no interest in synchronised swimming.

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