Bale, Kane make Ballon d’Or list

Wales forward Gareth Bale and England striker Harry Kane are among the nominees for the 2018 Ballon d’Or, BBC Sport reports.

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero and midfielder Kevin de Bruyne are also contenders, as are Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson and forward Robert Firmino.

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and N’GoloKante are also on the 30-man list, which is being revealed five players at a time.

The Ballon d’Or, a prestigious award that was first presented in 1956, is given to the best player of the year.

The ceremony to announce the winner will take place in Paris on 3 December, when a women’s award will also be presented for the first time.

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Juventus from Real Madrid in the summer, won last year’s Ballon d’Or and is again a contender.

Tottenham’s Kane, 25, helped England reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia, while 29-year-old Bale scored twice for Real Madrid in the Champions League win over Liverpool.

The Ballon d’Or has been awarded by France Football every year since 1956, with former England international Sir Stanley Matthews the first winner.

The list is compiled by the editorial staff of the French publication, with the winner voted for by journalists from around the world, with one representative per nation.

For six years it combined with world football’s governing body to become the FIFA Ballon d’Or.

However, FIFA ended its association with the award in September 2016.

At FIFA’s awards in September, Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric was named the world’s best male player, while Brazil and Orlando Pride forward Marta won the best female player award.

Source:BBC