Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale earn spot in star-studded 30-man shortlist as nominations are revealed for Ballon d'Or
- Real Madrid ace Gareth Bale was among the first to make the Ballon d'Or shortlist
- He was swiftly joined by Juventus ace and former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo
- FIFA released five names at a time as they drip-fed all 30 of the nominees
- Harry Kane, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe all made the cut on Monday evening
Real Madrid ace Gareth Bale will go head-to-head with former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo as the shortlist for the 2018 Ballon d'Or is announced.
FIFA are releasing the full 30-man shortlist throughout Monday with five stars revealed at one time and Welshman Bale was among the first batch. Sergio Aguero, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, Madrid striker Karim Benzema and Paris Saint-Germain forward Edinson Cavni completed the first five.
Names are released in alphabetical order but Cristiano Ronaldo formed part of the second wave and he was the stand-out name in a group that also contained Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne.
Gareth Bale is among the first five players to be announced for the latest Ballon d'Or award
The second wind of players saw Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo included as he seeks his sixth title
Liverpool's stellar campaign last season saw further recognition as Brazilian striker Roberto Firmino earned a spot in the second release with Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin completing the first 10 names.
The award has been dominated by Messi and Ronaldo since 2008, each scoring five awards, but with Luka Modric's impressive season seeing him sweep the recent prizes, he is threatening to break up the duopoly.
The Ballon d'Or is considered the greatest personal accolade a player can achieve and this year's awards ceremony will take place in Paris on December 3.
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is one of the Premier League names to make the list
Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema makes the 30-man shortlist to join team-mate Bale
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker and PSG striker Edinson Cavani completed the first five
Kylian Mbappe, who hit four goals in 13 minutes on Sunday in the rout over Lyon, remains in the hunt for the award after ending his season with a World Cup winners' medal with France.
Bale is now the main man at Real following Ronaldo's summer switch to Juventus and he will hope he has done enough for his first Ballon d'Or, even if the competition from the Portuguese remains stronger than ever.
The Welshman is enduring a tough start to the campaign under new boss Julen Lopetegui but made the difference in Kiev when it mattered most against Liverpool to secure a third straight Champions League title in May.
Thibaut Courtois has been handed a boost by making the list after a tough start to the season
Kevin De Bruyne and Roberto Firmino were among the Premier League's best players last term
From a Premier League perspective no player has made the top three in a decade with Fernando Torres, then of Liverpool, finishing third and Ronaldo, then of Manchester United, winning the award.
But with four big names from the division matching La Liga in the opening 10 selections, there will be a faint hope that the decade of omissions will come to an end.
At the halfway stage of the reveal, Antoine Griezmann and Eden Hazard were the stand-out names.
Harry Kane became the first Englishman in the shortlist while N'Golo Kante's impressive showings for club and country saw him earn a spot. Real Madrid midfielder Isco joins team-mates Bale, Benzema and Courtois.
Chelsea pair Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante both featured after enjoying impressive seasons
Tottenham's talisman striker Harry Kane has been consistently prolific as he got a nomination
Kane's team-mate, Hugo Lloris, also earned a spot of the prestigious list of players up for the award after captaining France to their second World Cup trophy this summer.
Sadio Mane also joined Liverpool pair Alisson and Firmino in making the cut, while the two most expensive players in history, Mbappe and Neymar, were obvious candidates to be up for the award.
Despite his troubles at club level, Paul Pogba was revealed in the fifth group of nominations alongside Messi and Modric for his display in Russia with France.
Tottenham and France captain Hugo Lloris earned his place on the 30-man shortlist
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has also been nominated for the award
Mohamed Salah's impressive record-breaking season saw him nominated for the award
The last batch of players announced on Monday was dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona – with the exception of Mohamed Salah – as Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane rounded off the 30-man shortlist with Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic.
The winner of the Ballon d'Or will be announced in a ceremony at the beginning of December along with the first-ever Under 21 Ballon d'Or.
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