The Argentine faces stiff competition from his close rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool's centre-back Virgil van Dijk ahead of this year's award gala slated for December.

Messi failed to win Champions League but under his enviable tutelage, Barcelona coasted to a big glory with domestic win.

The winger netted an astonishing 51 goals in all competitions for his club in the 2018-19 campaign.

And Mbappe, who is also a strong contender for the coveted gong, backed Messi for the individual honour.

The PSG star was convinced the Argentine will clinch the award because he boasts the most remarkable calendar year among the thirty nominees, Goal reports.

“Messi. In individual terms, he was the best this year,” Mbappe told German media outlet Der Spiegel.

The 32-year-old Argentine forward has won the awards on five different occasions tying him with Juventus striker Ronaldo who also has five pieces of the honour in his name.

Messi won the Ballon d'Or award in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015, and he is one of the three favourites to take away the most sought gong this year.

The Barcelona superstar was recently crowned FIFA The Best player for the year 2019 after helping his team win La Liga last season.

The Argentine beat Liverpool's Virgil Van Dijk and his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo to the prestigious award.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that Kylian Mbappe has become the youngest footballer to score 15 goals in the Champions League.

Mbappe achieved the rare feat after scoring a sensational second half hat-trick for Paris Saint-Germain against Club Brugge on Tuesday night, October 22.

Can Liverpool retain the Champions League Title | Legit TV

Authors

Rahaman Abiola