Portugal won the inaugural competition on Sunday night as Ronaldo lifted the trophy after a 1-0 win over Holland. The Juventus superstar scored a hat-trick in the semi-final success over Switzerland but found it tough going in the final up against Liverpool stalwart Virgil van Dijk. He has emerged as the favourite to win the prestigious Ballon d'Or prize after a stunning campaign that ended with Liverpool lifting the Champions League. Lionel Messi is the second-favourite with he and Ronaldo sharing the award for 10 seasons in a row before Luka Modric's success last year. Speaking to Dutch publication NOS, De Ligt confirmed that Ronaldo had instructed him to sign for Juventus during their brief chat.

Source: Daily Mirror June 10, 2019 20:33 UTC