The full result of the 2019 Ballon d'Or if statistics were used to pick the winner

GiveMeSport

scores

By Kobe Tong

Published Oct 23, 2019

It seems as though Virgil van Dijk isn't the worthy winner in 2019

We're creeping closer and closer to the Ballon d'Or.

The footballing award season cranked into gear with Virgil van Dijk being named UEFA's Player of the Year, before Lionel Messi hit back by taking the top prize at FIFA's 'The Best' awards.

But let's be honest here, the Ballon d'Or will always be the top dog of individual accolades and France Football announced their list of 30 nominations earlier in the week.

It will come as no surprise that players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Aguero were given the nod, but the selections of Riyad Mahrez and Hugo Lloris certainly raised eyebrows.

A team of journalists will then decide the winner based on three criteria: individual and collective performances, player class (talent and fair play) and overall judgment of the player's career.

Ballon d'Or according to stats

It's not a system that will please everybody, though, and it made the team at WhoScored.com wonder: how would the 2019 Ballon d'Or play out if it was decided by statistics?

Well, using their vast bank of statistics, they averaged out the match ratings of world's top players to draw up their own shortlist of 30 players and then ranked them based on their totals.

It makes for fascinating reading and especially when you consider Van Dijk - the favourite in many people's eyes - is statistically just the 29th most worthy winner. Check out the full list down below: