Women's Ballon d'Or – meet the contenders & pick your winner

It’s time to crown the best player in women’s football for 2019.

England’s Lucy Bronze, the Uefa Women’s Player of the Year, and Ellen White are both in the mix to be named the winner of this year’s Women’s Ballon d’Or, which will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on Monday.

Manchester City forward White and Lyon defender Bronze played key parts in the Lionesses reaching the World Cup semi-finals in July.

Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema, who helped the Netherlands reach the final, is also on the 20-woman shortlist.

Norway’s Ada Hegerberg became the inaugural winner of the award in 2018, although her World Cup absence could count against her this time.

Tobin Heath, Rose Lavelle, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe are flying the flag for the United States, who lifted the World Cup in France.

Rapinoe won both the Golden Boot for top scorer and Golden Ball for best player at the tournament and also collected the Best Fifa Women’s Player award in Milan in September.

But who else is in contention? BBC Sport has a rundown of all the players in the mix for this year’s Women’s Ballon d’Or.

Kosovare Asllani

Club: CD Tacon Nation: Sweden

Age: 30 Honours 2019: None

Known as the ‘female Zlatan’ in her homeland, Asllani’s technical ability stood out at the World Cup. The former Paris St-Germain and Manchester City player is in line to become a Galactica, when her current side, who are struggling in the Primera Division in Spain, come under Real Madrid’s banner next season.

Sarah Bouhaddi

Club: Lyon Nation: France

Age: 33 Honours 2019: Women’s Champions League, Division 1 Feminine, Coupe de France Feminine

Still one of the best in the business as she highlighted with Lyon last term. The 33-year-old, can, alongside Sari van Veenendaal, lay claim to being the best goalkeeper in the world.

Lucy Bronze

Club: Lyon Nation: England

Age: 28 Honours 2019: Women’s Champions League, Division 1 Feminine, Coupe de France Feminine, SheBelieves Cup

Known for her marauding runs down the right, Bronze has enjoyed a stellar year, winning the treble with Lyon and excelling on the international stage. Named the second-best player at the World Cup, she also picked up the Uefa Women’s Player of the Year Award in August – but will that be enough to sway this one?

Nilla Fischer

Club: Linkopings Nation: Sweden

Age: 35 Honours 2019: None

Fischer may be in the twilight years of her career but she remains as influential as ever, especially when barking out orders from centre-back. The former Wolfsburg star may lack the profile and technical skills of some of the other contenders but her presence was key to Sweden finishing third at the World Cup.

Pernille Harder

Club: Wolfsburg Nation: Denmark

Age: 27 Honours 2019: Bundesliga, DFB Pokal

While Denmark’s absence at the Women’s World Cup could limit her chances, the Wolfsburg forward’s tight control and composed finishing makes her one of the most sought-after players on the globe.

Tobin Heath

Club: Portland Thorns Nation: USA

Age: 31 Honours 2019: Women’s World Cup

One of the most skilful players in the USA forward line but as she showed in the World Cup equally adept at dropping into midfield and linking play. She may not have the stature of Alex Morgan or Megan Rapinoe but she remains a perfect foil.

Ada Hegerberg

Club: Lyon Nation: Norway

Age: 24 Honours 2019: Women’s Champions League, Division 1 Feminine, Coupe de France Feminine

A global superstar and winner of the award last year, Hegerberg needs little introduction at all. While she missed the World Cup, she’s already made up in part for that with nine Champions League goals this term, to add to her hat-trick in the 2019 final, making her the highest scorer in the competition’s history.

Amandine Henry

Club: Lyon Nation: France

Age: 30 Honours 2019: Women’s Champions League, Division 1 Feminine, Coupe de France Feminine

A midfield dynamo for Lyon and Les Bleues, Henry is superb in at both orchestrating attacks and breaking up the play defensively. Widely regarded as one of the best players in the world for almost a decade, she has enjoyed a trophy-laden career having won titles in both the US and Europe. France’s failure to go beyond the quarter-finals of the World Cup may cost her here though.

Sofia Jakobsson

Club: CD Tacon Nation: Sweden

Age: 29 Honours 2019: None

Scored in Sweden’s World Cup quarter-final victory over Germany but has made a slow start to life in Spain after moving from Montpellier in the summer.

Sam Kerr

Club: Chelsea Nation: Australia

Age: 26 Honours 2019: Cup of Nations

As forwards go Kerr’s record isn’t bad, is it? The all-time leading scorer in the National Women’s Soccer League in the US and the Australian W-League, she also hit five at the World Cup this summer, leading Australia to the last 16. While few players outscore Chelsea’s new forward, goals will probably not be the sole currency on which this award is judged.

Rose Lavelle

Club: Washington Spirit Nation: USA

Age: 24 Honours 2019: Women’s World Cup

Lauded by former United States head coach Jill Ellis, Lavelle’s creativity came to the fore at the World Cup where she capped a fine tournament by scoring a goal in the final.

Dzsenifer Marozsan

Club: Lyon Nation: Germany

Age: 27 Honours 2019: Women’s Champions League, Division 1 Feminine, Coupe de France Feminine

If you’re looking for a midfielder who can float over the ground, evade tackles and pick apart defences with incisive passes look no further than Marozsan. Named German and France’s footballer of the year in 2019, she is almost impossible to stop when in full flow.

Marta

Club: Orlando Pride Nation: Brazil

Age: 33 Honours 2019: None

Signed off from this year’s World Cup as the first player to score at five finals and as the all-time leading goal scorer in World Cup history with 17, moving ahead of Germany men’s striker Miroslav Klose (16).

Lieke Martens

Club: Barcelona Nation: The Netherlands

Age: 26 Honours 2019: None

Helped Barcelona reach the Champions League final last season but has been kept out of action this term by a toe injury picked up in the World Cup.

Vivianne Miedema

Club: Arsenal Nation: Netherlands

Age: 23 Honours 2019: Women’s Super League

Finisher supreme Miedema scored 22 goals and picked up 10 assists in 19 league appearances last term as the Gunners won their first WSL title in seven years. Also named the PFA Player of the Year, the 23-year-old is already the Netherlands’ all-time leading goalscorer with 69 goals, with 15 of those coming in 2019.

Alex Morgan

Club: Orlando Pride Nation: USA

Age: 30 Honours 2019: Women’s World Cup

It’s impossible not to think of Morgan as one of the main contenders for this award. The 30-year-old finished joint-top scorer at the 2019 Women’s World Cup and is viewed as one of the world’s most influential female players. With her first child due in April 2020, the Ballon d’Or would be a nice early present ahead of motherhood.

Megan Rapinoe

Club: Reign FC Nation: USA

Age: 34 Honours 2019: Women’s World Cup

Eclipsed team-mate Alex Morgan by winning both the Golden Boot for top scorer and Golden Ball for best player of the tournament in France after helping the United States win the World Cup. A powerful speaker, as well as athlete, the 34-year-old won the women’s player award at the Best Fifa Football Awards in September and will be a strong favourite to double up.

Wendie Renard

Club: Lyon Nation: France

Age: 29 Honours 2019: Women’s Champions League, Division 1 Feminine, Coupe de France Feminine

A colossus at the heart of the Lyon and France defence, Renard has showcased her pace, strength and aerial power in 2019. Got into double figures for goals last term and her six-foot plus frame makes her an uncompromising opponent.

Sari van Veenendaal

Club: Atletico Madrid Nation: The Netherlands

Age: 29 Honours 2019: None

The former Arsenal goalkeeper emerged as one of the stars of the Women’s World Cup, keeping three clean sheets in six matches. And she has made a solid start to life in Spain, with her new employers second in the Primera Division Femenina.

Ellen White

Club: Manchester City Nation: England

Age: 30 Honours 2019: SheBelieves Cup

The Manchester City forward was in prolific form at the World Cup in the summer, weighing in with a hefty six goals as Phil Neville’s Lionesses reached the semi-finals. That was as many as Golden Boot winner Megan Rapinoe but will that carry enough clout for this prize?

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