Neymar, Messi, Ronaldo and Pogba compete in final Ballon d'Or shortlist

24 Oct 2016 17:30:55

The players are among the 30 to be shortlisted for the prestigious award alongside the likes of Dimitri Payet, Jamie Vardy and Pepe

Barcelona forwards Neymar and Luis Suarez and Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba are among the latest players to be added to the Ballon d'Or shortlist.

They are joined in the final two rounds of nominees by Bayern Munich pair Manuel Neuer and Arturo Vidal, West Ham midfielder Dimitri Payet, Sporting goalkeeper Rui Patricio, Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy and Real Madrid defenders Pepe and Sergio Ramos.

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Neymar enjoyed a stellar campaign at Camp Nou as they won La Liga before captaining Brazil to their first Olympic Gold Medal, while Suarez won the European Golden Shoe during his second season at Camp Nou.

Pogba, meanwhile, helped Juventus win the Serie A title before completing a world-record transfer back to United in the summer.

The pair join the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and holder Lionel Messi on the 30-man shortlist while Pogba's United team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also included.
Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon will also be among the favourites ahead of the ceremony on January 9.

FULL 30: Sergio Aguero, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Gareth Bale, Gianluigi Buffon, Kevin De Bruyne, Paulo Dybala, Diego Godin, Antoine Griezmann, Gonzalo Higuain, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andres Iniesta, Koke, Toni Kroos, Robert Lewandowski, Hugo Lloris, Riyad Mahrez, Lionel Messi, Luka Modric, Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, Neymar, Rui Patricio, Dimitri Payet, Pepe, Paul Pogba, Sergio Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez, Jamie Vardy, Arturo Vidal.

Source :http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3871/ballon-dor/2016/10/24/28807722/neymar-messi-ronaldo-and-pogba-compete-in-final-ballon-dor?ICID=HP_TS_13