World Cup stars Kylian Mbappe and Luka Modric are among the contenders to end Cristiano Ronaldo’s hold on FIFA’s The Best Men’s Player award after the shortlist was announced on Tuesday, but Neymar and Paul Pogba are not among the nominees.
Ronaldo, who has won this honour in both years of its existence, is once again nominated, but faces arguably his toughest challenge yet, following so many impressive performances in Russia.
The award, created in 2016 following FIFA’s split with the Ballon d’Or, will this year honour the standout player from July 3, 2017 to July 15, 2018.
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Also nominated for the Ballon d’Or are five time winner Lionel Messi, Harry Kane, Raphael Varane, Mohamed Salah, Antoine Griezmann, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard are also on the shortlist.
The shortlist was compiled by a panel of FIFA legends, including Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario, former England boss Fabio Capello and former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard.
The final three nominees will be announced at a later date, and all award winners will be revealed at The Best FIFA Football Awards show in London on September 24.
The full list:
Cristiano Ronaldo, Kevin De Bruyne, Antoine Griezmann, Eden Hazard, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Luka Modric, Mohamed Salah, Raphael Varane.