Ronaldo, Messi to vie for top award in Dubai

Dubai - The 2019 awards ceremony will take place at Dubai's Madinat Jumeirah on December 29

For the first time in history, the Globe Soccer Awards have included three categories in recognition of the world's best female football talent - Best Women's Player of the Year, Best Club of the Year and Best Referee of the Year, a press release said.
On the men's side, Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will be in the running for his sixth Best Men's Player of the Year award, alongside Barcelona's Lionel Messi in the 11th edition of the annual Globe Soccer Awards, which is organised in partnership with Dubai Sports Council.
The 2019 awards ceremony will take place at Dubai's Madinat Jumeirah on December 29.
The candidates and eventual winners will be picked by the Globe Soccer Jury, a panel of leading industry experts including Fabio Capello, Antonio Conte and Eric Abidal. Some of the season's biggest stars are in contention this year, including Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk and his manager Jurgen Klopp and Manchester City star Bernardo Silva.
American women's soccer team's World Cup-winning stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe have been nominated for the awards. English football star Lucy Bronze, who led French club Olympique Lyonnais to victory in the Women's Champions League, is also in contention for the Best Women's Player category award. Last season was a magical one for Liverpool and their supporters as they became European champions for the sixth time.
This makes them a strong contender for all of the awards they have been nominated for, including Best Club, Best Men's Player (Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker and Sadio Mane) and Best Coach (Jurgen Klopp).
The day before the awards, on December 28, the associated Dubai Sports Council's 14th edition of the Dubai International Sports Conference will host a wide range of speakers, from club owners to coaches, players and sponsors who will be discussing the future development of football.