Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has picked Liverpool forward Sadio Mane as the "outstanding" player for the 2019 Ballon d'Or.
The nominees for this year's award presented will be disclosed on Monday, and the final winner will be announced on December 2 in Paris.
Lionel Messi, Virgil van Dijk and Cristiano Ronaldo have been tipped as favourites for the accolade but Mane's recent form draws him into the conversation, after his goalscoring abilities guided Liverpool to win the Uefa Champions League in June and also helped them finish second in the 2018-19 Premier League campaign.