Full list of 2016 Ballon D’or nominees revealed, Jamie Vardy included

Full list of 2016 Ballon D’or nominees revealed, Jamie Vardy included

– 30 players have been revealed as nominees for the 2016 FIFA Ballon d’Or award

– Barcelona trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez  and Neymar were included in the list  

– Lionel Messi is the reigning Ballon d’Or winner having won it for a fifth time in 2015

France Football Association has announced thethe 30 names in contention for the 2016 Ballon d’Or award.

Lionel Messi is the reigning Ballon D’or holder

Welsh winger Gareth Bale, Sergio Aguero, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Gianluigi Buffon and Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo were included in the first batch of nominees announced.

Antoine Griezmann, Kevin De Bruyne, Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain and Diego Godin were named in the second batch.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andreas Iniesta, Koke, Toni Kroos, Robert Lewandowski added to third batch.

The fourth to sixth batch includes; Hugo Lloris, Riyad Mahrez, Lionel Messi, Thomas Muller, Lucas Modric, Manuel Neuer, Neymar, Dimitri Payet, Pepe, Paul Pogba, Rui Patricio, Sergio Ramos, Luis Suarez, Jamie Vardy, Arturo Vidal.

Antoine Griezmann

This year’s Ballon d’Or is judged solely by a panel of journalists after FIFA and France Football decided to part ways.

They had originally joined forces to combine the previous Fifa World Player of the Year prize with the French publication’s prestigious individual prize in 2010.

The nominees as at 6pm (Nigerian time, October 24)

1. Sergio Aguero

2. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

3. Gareth Bale

4. Gianluigi Buffon

5. Cristiano Ronaldo

6. Kevin de Bruyne

7. Paulo Dybala

8. Diego Godin

9. Antoine Griezmann

10. Gonzalo Higuain

11. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

12. Andreas Iniesta

13. Koke

14. Toni Kroos

15. Robert Lewandowski

16. Hugo Lloris

17. Riyad Mahrez

18. Lionel Messi

19. Thomas Muller

20. Lucas Modric

21. Manuel Neuer

22. Neymar

23. Dimitri Payet

24. Pepe

25. Paul Pogba

26. Rui Patricio

27. Sergio Ramos

28. Luis Suarez

29. Jamie Vardy

30. Arturo Vidal