Paris: PSG and France striker Kylian Mbappe said that Lionel Messi is the favourite to win the 2019 Ballon d'Or. Messi, 32, helped Barcelona to the Spanish league title in 2018/19, scoring 51 goals across all competitions.

Messi is thus one of the front runners for the coveted title, which he has won five times, four of which came on the trot from 2009 to 2012. It is the joint most number of times that a player has won the title — a record he holds with Cristiano Ronaldo.