Ballon d’Or nominations are out, as 30-man list of nominees were released on Monday, for the award for the best footballer in the world.
The list released cut across major leagues in Europe, as the names were released in groups of five throughout the day, with a 30-man shortlist drawn up ahead of the awards ceremony in Paris on December 3.
The Ballon d’Or is separate from FIFA’s own world player of the year awards, known as The Best, which was won by Real Madrid’s Croatia midfielder Luka Modric.
The shortlist is curated by the editorial office of France Football, and the winner is then picked from the list by a panel of international journalists, with one representative per country
How the Ballon d’Or is awarded:
The Ballon d’Or is awarded according to three separate criteria. The panel judge nominees on: their performances during the calendar year, their talent and fair play, and their achievements throughout their career.
How Points are awarded:
Each panel member picks their top five nominees, with their first pick being awarded six points, their second pick receiving four points, their third three points, their fourth two points and their final pick one point.
The player with the most points received once all panel members have cast their votes is awarded the Ballon d’Or. In the event of a tie, the player with the most first picks is given the award.
Sergio Aguero: Manchester City/ Argentina
Alisson: Liverpool/ Brazil
Gareth Bale: Real Madrid / Wales
Karim Benzema: Real Madrid/France
Edinson Cavani: PSG/ Uruguay
Thibaut Courtois: Real Madrid /Belgium
Cristiano Ronaldo: Juventus /Portugal
Kevin De Bruyne: Manchester City / Belgium
Roberto Firmino Liverpool & Brazil
Diego Godin Atletico Madrid / Uruguay
Antoine Griezmann: Atletico Madrid & France
Eden Hazard: Chelsea / Belgium
Isco: Real Madrid / Spain
Harry Kane: Tottenham/ England
N’Golo Kante: Chelsea / France
Hugo Lloris: Tottenham: France
Mario Mandzukic Juventus / Croatia
Sadio Mane: Liverpool /Senegal
Marcelo: Real Madrid / Brazil
Kylian Mbappe PSG / France
Lionel Messi: Barcelona & Argentina
Luka Modric: Real Madrid / Croatia
Neymar: PSG / Brazil
Jan Oblak: Atletico Madrid / Slovenia
Paul Pogba: Manchester United / France
Ivan Rakitic: Barcelona /Croatia
Sergio Ramos: Real Madrid / Spain
Mohamed Salah: Liverpool / Egypt
Luis Suarez: Barcelona / Uruguay
Raphael Varane: Real Madrid / France