Ronaldo, Messi, van Dijk, Bronze, Rapinoe amongst Ballon d'Or nominees
SHOWS:
LISBON, PORTUGAL (FILE - MAY 29, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
1. PORTUGAL AND JUVENTUS FORWARD, CRISTIANO RONALDO, RUNNING THEN WALKING DURING TRAINING
MADRID, SPAIN (FILE - MARCH 19, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
2. ARGENTINA AND BARCELONA FORWARD, LIONEL MESSI, SITTING ON A BALL
MADRID, SPAIN (FILE - MARCH 18, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
3. MESSI JOGGING WITH TEAMMATES DURING ARGENTINA TRAINING
GUIMARES, PORTUGAL (FILE - JUNE 5, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
4. VARIOUS OF NETHERLANDS AND LIVERPOOL DEFENDER, VIRGIL VAN DIJK, DURING TRAINING
LIMONEST, FRANCE (FILE - JULY 1, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
5. ENGLAND DEFENDER, LUCY BRONZE, RUNNING DURING TRAINING
LYON, FRANCE (FILE - APRIL 17, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
6. BRONZE DURING TRAINING WITH HER CLUB LYON
ENFIELD NEAR LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - JUNE 6, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
7. U.S. FORWARD, ALEX MORGAN, JOGGING WITH TEAM MATES AHEAD OF TRAINING SESSION
LYON, FRANCE (FILE - JULY 3, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
8. U.S. FORWARD, MEGAN RAPINOE, JOGGING DURING TRAINING
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, UK (FILE - SEPTEMBER 17, 2018) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
9. LIVERPOOL GOALKEEPER, ALISSON BECKER, IN TRAINING
STORY: Premier League players dominated nominations for the men's Ballon d'Or award after the 30-man shortlist was announced throughout Monday (October 21) while French side Lyon had six nominees in a shortlist of 20 female players for the women's award.
The awards ceremony crowning the winners will be held in the French capital on December 2. Four awards will be handed out on the night, with the best men's and women's player honoured alongside the Kopa Trophy for under-21s and the Yachine Trophy for goalkeepers.
Last year's winner Luka Modric failed to make the shortlist but Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and UEFA player of the year Virgil van Dijk are nominated as expected.
Men's Ballon d'Or nominees:
Manchester City's Sergio Aguero, Bernardo Silva, Kevin de Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling. Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum. Barcelona's Lionel Messi, Frenkie de Jong, Antoine Griezmann and Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Real Madrid's Eden Hazard and Karim Benzema. Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo and Matthijs de Ligt. Ajax's Dusan Tadic and Donny van de Beek. PSG's Kylian Mbappe and Marquinhos. Tottenham Hotspur's Hugo Lloris and Heung-min Son. Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix, Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly, Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski.
Women's Ballon d'Or nominees:
Lyon's Lucy Bronze, Ada Hegerberg, Dzenifer Marozsan, Sarah Bouhaddi, Wendie Renard and Amandine Henry, Arsenal's Vivianne Miedema, Reign FC's Megan Rapinoe, Barcelona's Lieke Martens, Manchester City's Ellen White, Chicago Red Stars' Sam Kerr, VfL Wolfsburg's Nilla Fischer and Pernille Harder, Orlando Pride's Alex Morgan and Marta, CD Tacon's Kosovare Asllani and Sofia Jakobsson, Portland Thorns's Tobin Heath, Atletico Madrid's Sari van Veenendaal, Washington Spirit's Rose Lavelle.
