Seven Real Madrid players nominated for Ballon d'Or awards | Full list
The full 30-man list includes seven Real Madrid players following their second successive Champions League win last season.
The Ballon d’Or was initially distinct from FIFA’s World Player of the Year award, but the two was aligned in 2010 to become the FIFA Ballon d’Or and has been won by either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi for the past nine years.
However, that merger lasted just five years and the Ballon d’Or became separate from FIFA again in 2016, with the world governing body subsequently creating the new ‘The Best’ awards series.
Ronaldo picked up his fourth Ballon d’Or last year to move one behind Messi, and the Portugal and Real Madrid forward has been tip as favourite to make it five this time around.
Luis Suarez and Sergio Ramos have joined the likes of Neymar as nominees for the 2017 Ballon d’Or award, with the first 10 candidates released.
Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho and Chelsea and France midfielder N’Golo Kate has also been nominated for the award.
The Ballon d’Or is judged solely by a panel of journalists after FIFA and France Football ended their partnership in 2015.
Ballon d’Or 2017 shortlist so far:-
Cristiano Ronaldo - Real Madrid & Portugal
Eden Hazard - Chelsea & Belgium
Leonardo Bonucci - AC Milan & Italy
Isco - Real Madrid & Spain
Kylian Mbappe - PSG & France
Neymar - PSG & Brazil
Luka Modric - Real Madrid & Croatia
Paulo Dybala - Juventus & Argentina
Marcelo - Real Madrid & Brazil
N’Golo Kante - Chelsea & France
Luis Suarez - Barcelona & Uruguay
Sergio Ramos - Real Madrid & Spain
Jan Oblak - Atletico Madrid & Slovenia
Philippe Coutinho - Liverpool & Brazil
Dries Mertens - Napoli & Belgium
Kevin De Bruyne - Manchester City & Belgium
Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich & Poland
David de Gea - Manchester United & Spain
Harry Kane - Tottenham & England
Edin Dzeko - Roma & Bosnia-Herzegovina
Antoine Griezmann - Atletico Madrid & France
Gianluigi Buffon - Juventus & Italy
Radamel Falcao - Monaco & Colombia
Sadio Mane - Liverpool & Senegal
Toni Kroos - Real Madrid & Germany
Lionel Messi - Barcelona & Argentina
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - Borussia Dortmund & Gabon
Edinson Cavani - PSG & Uruguay
Mats Hummels - Bayern Munich & Germany
Karim Benzema - Real Madrid & France
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