Football's glitterati descend on Paris tonight to find out who has claimed the 2019 Ballon d'Or.
There are 30 world-class players on the shortlist - and last year's winner Luka Modric is not one of them - but really this boils down to a competition between three men.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk is in serious contention alongside two of the all-time greats in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo - each with five Ballon d'Or titles to their name - after leading his side to Champions League glory in 2019.
Leaked documents and reports on the Continent appear to show that Messi has already been determined the winner - hence his overwhelming position as favourite with the bookmakers.
But which player deserves to claim football's most prestigious individual award? Sportsmail argues the case for each of the leading candidates.
LIONEL MESSI
Odds: 1/12 (favourite)
Trophies won in 2018/19: La Liga, Spanish Super Cup
It wasn't Lionel Messi's best year. It wasn't his worst year. It was somewhere in between. Yet astonishingly, somewhere in between is still better than everyone else on the planet.
In the battle for 21st century football supremacy, should Messi triumph at the Ballon d'Or this evening, he would go one ahead of long-term rival Cristiano Ronaldo with his sixth world crown. Six.
After a barren spell of four years, with Ronaldo winning twice and Luka Modric usurping both of them last year, this individual milestone would mean a lot to the Barcelona captain in an individual contest with the Portuguese which has now spanned over a decade.
Why Messi, though, when he arguably experienced one of the worst nights of his career at Anfield in the Champions League semi-finals on May 7? Well, let's look at the first leg six days earlier, which was well and truly dominated by the 5ft 7in magician?
A breathtaking free-kick - his second goal of the match - beyond the reach of 2019's in-form goalkeeper Alisson, flew gloriously into the top corner. Top bins, to use the vernacular. It was one of the goals of the season, on the biggest stage.
Although in the end it wasn't enough, once again Messi's individual heroics shone bright. He scored 51 goals in 50 matches in all competitions last season - FIFTY ONE - and although the heartbreak in Europe stung, reaching 10 La Liga titles was a truly sensational feat.
Furthermore, look at Barca without their talismanic skipper. Out of the team at the beginning of this season due to a calf injury, Barca slumped to an opening day defeat against Athletic Bilbao and also lost away to Granada.
Upon his return though, much to the relief of under pressure manager Ernesto Valverde, Barca have stormed to the top of the table despite their indifferent start. Messi has scored 10 goals in 11 games. Put simply, he is the difference.
There was yet more international heartbreak for Messi as Argentina lost in the semi-finals of the Copa America, and a lack of international honours remains the one blot on his CV. Once again though, this cannot be blamed on him.
Time and time again, the 32-year-old produces the goods, and is the inspiration for his club and his country. Never before has Barcelona felt so reliant on Messi. And that is why he deserves everything that comes his way.
VIRGIL VAN DIJK
Odds: (6/1)
Trophies won in 2018/19: Champions League, UEFA Super Cup
The Dutchman has many more chapters to write at Liverpool - his impact there can only truly be gauged when his playing days at Anfield are over. But he has been the catalyst for the transformation of Jurgen Klopp's side to evolve from nearly-men to relentless winners.
It is weird to recall people scoffing at the Liverpool manager's decision to splash out £75million on a defender in January 2018.
Liverpool's sixth Champions League triumph was a magnificent achievement but let's not forget Van Dijk is the cornerstone of a side that has now reached two straight finals in Europe's elite club competition, all in the 18 months since he joined from Southampton.
And perhaps the Dutchman's most significant performance on the road to glory in 2019 was away at Bayern Munich in the last-16. Bayern had stifled the ferocious Anfield atmosphere and escaped with a goalless draw in the first leg but a Van Dijk-inspired Liverpool ran out 3-1 winners at the Allianz Arena.
Van Dijk sprayed a sumptuous pass over the Bayern defence to assist Sadio Mane's opener and got the second, when the scores were level, with a towering header. And that was on top of repelling Bayern attacks by shackling the four-man forward line of Robert Lewandowski, Franck Ribery, Serge Gnabry and James Rodriguez.
It was a result Klopp said cemented Liverpool's return among the best in Europe but that night Van Dijk engraved his name at the top of the list of the world's best defenders. Two rounds later, Van Dijk's Liverpool shell-shocked Lionel Messi and Barcelona by overturning a three-goal deficit at Anfield to surge into the final.
How can the Argentina man claim Monday's award ahead of Van Dijk when he couldn't even overcome him across two games?
Acknowledgement must also go to his international exploits. As captain of Holland, he has led them out of the international wilderness to Euro 2020 qualification - their first major tournament since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Holland also finished as runners-up place in the Nations League, beating England in the semi-finals.
Yes, it was to Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal that Holland lost in the final but look at the bigger picture; it was a lost battle in a war that has been won. His country are back where they belong.
And on Monday Van Dijk should appear where he deserves; crowned as the finest player of 2019 for a season that even Messi and Ronaldo envy.
CRISTIANO RONALDO
Odds: 33/1
Trophies won in 2018/19: Serie A, Italian Super Cup, UEFA Nations League
Jose Mourinho calls it a title 'Grand Slam' and often uses it to highlight the level of success he has had. Winning the league in each of Italy, Spain and England is a rare accomplishment indeed, so he brings it up to validate his career. While Lionel Messi and then Virgil van Dijk are bookmakers' favourites for the Ballon d'Or on Monday night, Ronaldo can point to Mourinho's lead. Messi and Van Dijk cannot compete with this.
Manchester United, Real Madrid and now Juventus. Wherever Ronaldo goes, Ronaldo wins. Fact.
Ronaldo was crowned Serie A Player of the Year in his first campaign in Italy.
He finished up with 28 goals and 10 assists in all competitions to help Juventus to an EIGHTH straight league title.
He scored all five goals that Juventus netted in the knockout stages of the Champions League before they fell to Ajax.
Oh, and he got the only goal of the game in the Italian Super Cup to beat AC Milan.
Still not convinced he should win Ballon d'Or No 6? While we are at it, let's add international honours to the mix, again something Messi nor Van Dijk would know nothing about.
People scoffed at the Nations League but nobody was ridiculing it when England had a chance to lift a trophy in the summer. And so Ronaldo now has a European Championship and a Nations League medal to add to his glittering career.
He is also on 99 international goals, 10 behind all-time record holder Ali Daei.
Granted, this year may not have been Ronaldo at his very best - at least according to the UEFA award (Van Dijk) and FIFA award (Messi). But when you're out-of-this-world good, even a one per cent dip sets alarms off among critics. Calls of him being 'finished' or 'washed up' in Italy are ridiculous.
I'm siding with Ronaldo's mother Dolores on this one. The 'Football Mafia', who she feels has 'robbed' him of more Ballon d'Or awards, need to show some respect.