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Mahrez, Aubameyang on Ballon d’Or shortlist …as Ronaldo guns for fourth title


Reigning African Best Footballer, Gabon’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and 2016 nominee, Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez, are among a shortlist of 30 players for the 2016 Ballon d’Or .

Borussia Dortmund’s Aubameyang and Premier League winner with Leicester, Mahrez, are also in the running for the CAF-Glo Award.

Mahrez won the Premier League with Leicester and was named Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year.

Also, three-time world player of the year, Cristiano Ronaldo, will have to take on Real Madrid teammate, Gareth Bale, for the Ballon d’Or title.

Both were on the 2016 shortlist announced yesterday by France Football Magazine which also featured Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero, and Juventus veteran goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon. Ronaldo, who won the award in 2008 and 2013-14, set himself up for a fourth Ballon d’Or when captaining Portugal to Euro 2016 glory and inspiring Real Madrid to an 11th Champions League triumph.

France Football released the names of the 30 shortlisted players in batches of five throughout yesterday, which also included Lionel Messi.

Messi, who claimed a record fifth award in 2015, or Ronaldo has taken the prize every year since 2007, when AC Milan’s Kaka took the honour.

Another player to make the list is Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann, one of the stars for hosts and beaten finalists France, at Euro 2016.

Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne, and Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba also feature.

Other Premier League names on the list are West Ham midfielder Dimitri Payet and Tottenham goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris.

The winner will be will be determined by a vote of journalists - players (national team captains) and managers will no longer have a say after the ending of a five-year deal between France Football and FIFA last September.

The first Ballon d’Or was won by Stanley Matthews, at the time with Blackpool, who beat Alfredo Di Stefano for the inaugural title in 1956. Last year’s honour went to Ronaldo’s arch rival, Messi, the Barcelona and Argentina legend winning it for the fifth time.

THE 2016 SHORTLIST

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund), Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Paulo Dybala (Juventus), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Neymar (Barcelona), Dimitri Payet (West Ham), Pepe (Real Madrid), Paul Pogba (Manchester United).

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