Real Madrid dominate 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist
Monday, October 24, 2016
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Real Madrid have six players in the 2016 Ballon d'Or shortlist, with all but three of the 30 nominees in this season's edition of the UEFA Champions League.
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The 30-man shortlist for the 2016 Ballon d'Or award has been announced.
2016 Ballon d'Or shortlist
Sergio Agüero (Manchester City & Argentina)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund & Gabon)
Gareth Bale (Real Madrid & Wales)
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus & Italy)
Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City & Belgium)
Paulo Dybala (Juventus & Argentina)
Diego Godín (Atlético Madrid & Uruguay)
Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid & France)
Gonzalo Higuaín (Napoli/Juventus & Argentina)
Zlatan Ibrahimović (Paris Saint-Germain/Manchester United & Sweden)
Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona & Spain)
Koke (Atlético Madrid & Spain)
Toni Kroos (Real Madrid & Germany)
Robert Lewandowski (Bayern München & Poland)
Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur & France)
Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City & Algeria)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina)
Luka Modrić (Real Madrid & Croatia)
Thomas Müller (Bayern München & Germany)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern München & Germany)
Neymar (Barcelona & Brazil)
Dimitri Payet (West Ham & France)
Pepe (Real Madrid & Portugal)
Paul Pogba (Juventus/Manchester United & France)
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid & Spain)
Rui Patrício (Sporting CP & Portugal)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal)
Luis Suárez (Barcelona & Uruguay)
Jamie Vardy (Leicester City & England)
Arturo Vidal (Bayern München & Chile)
Nominees by current club
Atlético: 3
Barcelona: 4
Bayern: 4
Dortmund: 1
Juventus: 3
Leicester: 2
Manchester City: 2
Manchester United: 2
Real Madrid: 6
Sporting: 1
Tottenham: 1
West Ham: 1
Nominees by nationality
Algeria: 1
Argentina: 4
Belgium: 1
Brazil: 1
Chile: 1
Croatia: 1
England: 1
France: 4
Gabon: 1
Germany: 3
Italy: 1
Poland: 1
Portugal: 3
Spain: 3
Sweden: 1
Uruguay: 2
Wales: 1
The names were revealed by France Football magazine throughout the course of Monday; all but Manchester United duo Zlatan Ibrahimović and Paul Pogba, as well as West Ham's Dimitri Payet, are plying their trade in this season's UEFA Champions League. The winner will be named on Monday 9 January.
France Football has given the award every year since 1956; the past six editions – four won by Lionel Messi, two by Cristiano Ronaldo – have been known as the FIFA Ballon d'Or but football's world governing body are no longer associated with it. The last player other than Messi or Ronaldo to win the award in either guise was Kaká in 2007.