BALLON D'OR 2017: NEYMAR, MESSI AND RONALDO AMONG 30 NOMINEES

The full 30-man list includes seven Real Madrid players following their second successive Champions League win last season

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi lead an illustrious list of 30 players nominated for the 2017 Ballon d'Or award.

The full list of top footballers was revealed across Monday by organisers
France Football, with Champions League and La Liga winners Real Madrid dominating with seven nominees.

Following unprecedented back-to-back Champions League wins, Real Madrid star Ronaldo is joined on the roster by attackers Karim Benzema and Isco, defenders Sergio Ramos and Marcelo , and midfielders Toni Kroos and Luka Modric .

Neymar has been recognised following an eventful year that has seen the Brazil star impress for both his national team and Barcelona, before his world-record summer transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.

Former team-mate Luis Suarez, meanwhile, was one of Barca's key men last term, scoring 37 goals in all competitions.

Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann was one of the final three in the 2016 Ballon d'Or, finishing third, and he continued his fine form for Diego Simeone's side with 26 goals in all competitions last season.

Juventus attacker Paulo Dybala is nominated alongside team-mate
Gianluigi Buffon after enjoying a stand-out 2017, helping the Bianconeri to yet another Serie A title and the Champions League final.



Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante is also among the nominees after he claimed his second Premier League title in a row following his switch from Leicester City. Philippe Coutinho,
David de Gea, Harry Kane and Kevin De Bruyne are also recognised for their performances in the English top flight.

Other nominees include Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak, PSG teenager Kylian Mbappe , and Roma forward Edin Dzeko , who finished as Serie A's top goalscorer last season.


FULL LIST OF 2017 BALLON D'OR NOMINEES
Player Teams

Cristiano Ronaldo - Real Madrid & Portugal
Eden Hazard - Chelsea & Belgium
Leonardo Bonucci - AC Milan & Italy
Isco - Real Madrid & Spain
Kylian Mbappe. - PSG & France
Neymar. - PSG & Brazil
Luka Modric. - Real Madrid & Croatia
Paulo Dybala - Juventus & Argentina
Marcelo. - Real Madrid & Brazil
N'Golo Kante - Chelsea & France
Luis Suarez. - Barcelona & Uruguay
Sergio Ramos - Real Madrid & Spain
Jan Oblak - Atletico Madrid & Slovenia
Philippe Coutinho. - Liverpool & Brazil
Dries Mertens - Napoli & Belgium
Kevin De Bruyne - Manchester City & Belgium
Robert Lewandowski. - Bayern Munich & Poland
David de Gea - Manchester United & Spain
Harry Kane - Tottenham & England
Edin Dzeko - Roma & Bosnia-Herzegovina
Antoine Griezmann - Atletico Madrid & France
Gianluigi Buffon. - Juventus & Italy
Radamel Falcao - Monaco & Colombia
Sadio Mane. - Liverpool & Senegal
Toni Kroos - Real Madrid & Germany
Lionel Messi - Barcelona & Argentina
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - Borussia Dortmund & Gabon
Edinson Cavani - PSG & Uruguay
Mats Hummels. - Bayern Munich & Germany
Karim Benzema. - Real Madrid & France

WHAT IS THE BALLON D'OR?



The Ballon d'Or (French for 'Golden Ball') is an annual individual award which is given to the footballer who is deemed to have performed the best during the previous year.

The accolade is presented by the football magazine France Football and it first appeared in 1956, when it was popularly known as the European Footballer of the Year award due to the fact that it was initially restricted to European players. In 1995, it expanded to include players of any nationality at European clubs before being adapted to include all players from around the world in 2007.

The Ballon d'Or was initially distinct from FIFA's World Player of the Year award, but the two merged in 2010 to become the FIFA Ballon d'Or. However, that merger lasted just five years and the Ballon d'Or became separate from FIFA again in 2016, with the world governing body subsequently creating the new 'The Best' awards series.