Paris (AFP)
The Ballon d'Or 2019 will be presented to its laureates, men and women, on 2 December at a ceremony co-chaired by former Ivorian international Didier Drogba at the Parisian theater in Châtelet, announced Thursday the magazine France Football, organizer of the event.
The list of nominated players will be announced on October 21st.
In 2018, the most prestigious individual award in football was awarded to Luka Modric, Croatian midfielder of Real Madrid and recent finalist of the World Cup against the French team. The Norwegian striker from Lyon, Ada Hegerberg, received the first Women's Golden Ball in history.
The 2019 edition will see the creation of a new Yachine Trophy, a reward for the best goalkeepers in the world. The identity of the ten named will be revealed on October 21st.
This prize is named after the former Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yachine, the only goalkeeper to win the Golden Ball (in 1963) so far.
© 2019 AFP