RONALDO, MBAPPE, VAN DIJK, OTHERS NOMINATED FOR BALLON D’OR

Cristiano Ronaldo will have his sights set on securing a sixth Ballon d’Or after the Juventus and Portugal forward was yesterday among the names nominated for this year’s award, reports thenational.ae.

Premier League stars including Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero, Liverpool forward Sadio Mane and Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris were among the first five nominees revealed by France Football.

They were joined by Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong and Ajax’s former Southampton forward, Dusan Tadic.

Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold have also been included in the 30-strong list, as have Barcelona keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek.

There is a place too for Paris Saint-Germain’s World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe, as well as another French striker, Karim Benzema of Real Madrid.

Five-time winner, Cristiano Ronaldo is also included on the list as is Juventus teammate Matthijs de Ligt.

Liverpool’s Alisson, Georginio Wijnaldum, Roberto Firmino, and Virgil van Dijk join fellow Champions League winner Mane and Alexander-Arnold among the candidates.

They were included along with Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva, Spurs striker Son Heung-min and Bayern Munich’s Poland international frontman Robert Lewandowski.

SOURCE: GUARDIAN