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2016 Ballon D’Or 30 man shortlist named

2016 Ballon d’Or 30 Man Shortlist

Premier League champions Leicester City’s dynamic duo Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have been named as two of the 30 nominees on the 2016 Ballon d’Or shortlist along with the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Vardy and Mahrez were key in Leicester City’s stunning historic season last campaign when Leicester won the England Premier League title and earned a spot in the Champions League tournament for the first time ever. England international Vardy scored 24 goals for Italian manager Claudio Ranieri only four years after playing in non-League for Fleetwood Town. Riyad Mahrez who signed from Le Havre in January 2014 for £400,000 was named as the PFA Player of the Year at the end of the season. Mahrez had a starring role in Leicester City's surprise Premier League title win. N'Golo Kante who transferred from the Foxes to Chelsea FC was not named.

Six more players from the Premier League have been short-listed, with Hugo Lloris, Sergio Agüero, Kevin De Bruyne, Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Dimitri Payet completing the contingent from England. The Ballon d’Or trophy is currently held by Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi. Since Messi missed a lot of football last season, Real Madrid’s Ronaldo is considered the favorite to win the coveted award this year. Spanish La Liga’s Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo will continue their annual battle for the Ballon d'Or after both were named in the list of 30 nominees for the 2016 award that was released on Monday. France Football, the magazine that founded the most prestigious individual honor in football, again named Real Madrid’s Ronaldo, 31, and Barcelona's Messi, 29. Messi and Ronaldo have finished first and second in each of the past five years’s competitions with Messi ahead of his rival three wins to two, including his win last year.

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Argentina international Messi, who was key as FC Barcelona won the 2015-16 La Liga title, may lose to Portugal international Ronaldo who is favored to win the award for a fourth time. Ronaldo made a significant contribution to Real Madrid’s winning the UEFA Champions League and winning Euro 2016 with Portugal. This season, the thirty-one year old Portuguese is having a hard time scoring goals in his worst goal drought since moving to Spanish La Liga boasting only four goals this season in 768 minutes of play – or a goal every two-and-a-bit games for Ronaldo who was jeered by Madrid fans during Sunday's win over Athletic Club. Ronaldo’s Champions League-winning coach Zinedine Zidane spoke about the supporters who jeered Ronaldo at the Bernabeu last weekend.

"I don't understand them, but at the same time I do because it happened to me too. This can happen,” said Zidane. “The fans expect the best from the players, that's why the Bernabeu is special. Cristiano is used to that and it doesn't worry him. Even if there are whistles ... the important thing is just to keep on going. We know how important our fans are." Zidane backed CR7 to start scoring goals again soon after a dry spell. "I would prefer him to score two or three goals a game but I'm not worried about what's coming,” added Zidane. "He's not finishing chances at the moment but the important thing is to have them. It won't be long till he puts one in."

Ronaldo is joined on the list by Real Madrid mates Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos and Pepe. Real Madrid has the most nominees of any club with six – even without Karim Benzema. Messi's Blaugrana mates Andres Iniesta, Luis Suarez, and Neymar means the Catalan side have four nominees total. Germany's double winners Bayern Munich have four nominees in Robert Lewandowski, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Muller and Arturo Vidal, who was key in helping Chile to retain the Copa America last summer, Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal was overlooked.

Defeated by their Madrid rivals in last May's UEFA Champions League final, Atletico Madrid have three nominees as Antoine Griezmann, who finished up as Euro 2016 top scorer with France, was joined by Koke and Diego Godin. Juventus have three nominees Paulo Dybala, Gianluigi Buffon, and Gonzalo Higuain, who earned 36 Serie A goals for Napoli last season. Manchester United's Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba are both named Ibra, 35, was key in PSG’s treble-winning exploits last season, during which he netted a Ligue 1-high 38 goals. Midfielder Pogba's title-winning exploits with Juve and his part in France's Euro 2016 runners-up finish earned his nomination.

Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne were both nominated. Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham Hotspur and France star goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was named to the shortlist due to his part in the Spurs’ third-placed Premier League finish last term. Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was named along with Sporting and Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio. Manchester United’s David de Gea, and Manchester City’s Joe Hart were left out. The Ballon d'Or will no longer be awarded in conjunction with FIFA. And no longer will a combined group of national team coaches, captains and international media take part in the decision, with only journalists now getting a vote. The winner will be revealed by France Football Magazine on December 13, 2016.

30 Man Balloon d’Or Nominees

  • Sergio Aguero, Manchester City
  • Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Borussia Dortmund
  • Gareth Bale, Real Madrid
  • Gianluigi Buffon, Juventus
  • Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid
  • Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City
  • Paulo Dybala, Juventus
  • Diego Godin, Atletico Madrid
  • Antoine Griezmann, Atletico Madrid
  • Gonzalo Higuain, Juventus
  • Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Manchester United
  • Andres Iniesta, Barcelona
  • Koke, Atletico Madrid
  • Toni Kroos, Real Madrid
  • Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich
  • Hugo Lloris, Tottenham
  • Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City
  • Lionel Messi, Barcelona
  • Luka Modric, Real Madrid
  • Thomas Muller, Bayern Munich
  • Manuel Neuer, Bayern Munich
  • Neymar, Barcelona
  • Dimitri Payet, West Ham
  • Pepe, Real Madrid
  • Paul Pogba, Juventus/Manchester United
  • Rui Patricio, Sporting
  • Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid
  • Luis Suarez, Barcelona
  • Jamie Vardy, Leicester City
  • Arturo Vidal, Bayern Munich
  • Watch the superstar footballers in live action this season as they play for their titan clubs! Buy England Premier League tickets, Spanish La Liga tickets, German Bundesliga tickets and Italian Serie A tickets securely from 1st4FootballTickets.com.

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