Messi, Ronaldo lead Ballon d’Or list
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are set to resume their annual battle for the Ballon d’Or after both were named in the list of 30 nominees for the 2016 award on Monday.
France Football, the magazine that founded most prestigious individual honour in football, released the list in which Real Madrid man Ronaldo, 31, and Barcelona’s Messi, 29, both featured.
The pair have finished first and second in each of the past five years with Messi edging out his great rival three wins to two, including his triumph last year.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi again shone as Barca won the 2015-16 La Liga title, but the Argentina international could be upstaged this year by Ronaldo, who is favoured to claim the prize for a fourth time.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi again shone as Barca won the 2015-16 La Liga title, but the Argentina international could be upstaged this year by Ronaldo, who is favoured to claim the prize for a fourth time.
Though the Madrid man has struggled by his own stratospheric standards in the early stages of the current campaign, it is unlikely to overshadow the fact he contributed significantly as he picked up both the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid and Euro 2016 with Portugal in a stunning year.
Ronaldo is joined in the list by Madrid teammates Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos and Pepe, meaning the European champions have the most nominees of any club with six — despite the absence of Karim Benzema — while the inclusion of Messi’s Blaugrana colleagues Andres Iniesta, Luis Suarez and Neymar means the Catalan side have two fewer than their great rivals.
Germany’s double winners Bayern Munich also have four nominations in Robert Lewandowski, Manuel Neuer, Thomas Muller and Arturo Vidal, who helped Chile retain the Copa America last summer.
Others are Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann, Koke and defender Diego Godin, with Juventus boasting of a trio of Paulo Dybala, Gianluigi Buffon alongside Gonzalo Higuain.
Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba are both included, Manchester City have a pair of nominees in Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne, while Riyad Mahrez is rewarded for his starring role in Leicester City’s surprise Premier League title win with a nomination.
The man whose goals fuelled the Foxes’ success, Jamie Vardy, is also included, but there was no spot for N’Golo Kante, the midfield spark plug who has since moved to
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