Man City trio on Ballon d’Or list

MANCHESTER City trio Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and Yaya Toure are among five Premier League players on the 23-man Ballon d’Or shortlist.

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez are also in the frame to be named world football’s best player.

Ballon d’Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, who have won the past seven awards between them, lead the nominees. Wales and Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale is the only British player named.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger are on the 10-man Coach of the Year shortlist.

They will contend with Barcelona manager Luis Enrique, who guided his side to the treble of Champions League, Spanish league and Spanish cup titles, and Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola.

There are few surprise names on the players’ list, with QPR midfielder Massimo Luongo and Bournemouth winger Christian Atsu, who both reportedly made the 59-man long-list, overlooked.

Midfielders and forwards vastly outnumber goalkeepers and defenders, with Bayern Munich keeper Manuel Neuer and Barcelona centre-back Javier Mascherano the only players shortlisted from their respective positions.

Spain’s La Liga leads the way, with 11 players nominated, while Germany’s Bundesliga has six nominees. There are two from Italy’s Serie A and one – Paris St-Germain’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic – from France’s Ligue 1. Players who have transferred during the past year are recognised for their contribution to both clubs. Fifa Ballon d’Or shortlist includes: Sergio Aguero (Argentina/Manchester City), Gareth Bale (Wales/Real Madrid), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/VfL Wolfsburg/Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Belgium/Chelsea), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden/Paris Saint-Germain), Andres Iniesta (Spain/FC Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Germany/Real Madrid), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/FC Bayern Munich), Javier Mascherano (Argentina/FC Barcelona), Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona), Thomas Muller (Germany/FC Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Germany/FC Bayern Munich), Neymar (Brazil/FC Barcelona), Paul Pogba (France/Juventus), Ivan Rakitic (Croatia/FC Barcelona). – Online.