FIFA has shortlisted Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Robert Lewandowski, and 27 others for the 2021 Ballon d’Or football award.
France Football, in a series of social media posts, announced their names on Friday.
The ceremony which is scheduled for November after a COVID-19-stricken year projects the trio as the frontrunners to pick up the award.
But one of them will go home with one of the world’s most prestigious individual awards.
The 30-man list of players comprises a goalkeeper, five defenders, nine midfielders, and 15 forwards drawn from various football clubs across Europe.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo looks to match the record of six awards set by Messi, following a brilliant performance last season.
Before his return to Manchester United since his departure in 2009, the 36-year-old Portuguese netted 36 goals and made four assists for Juventus in the previous season.
While his Argentine counterpart, Lionel Messi was crucial to Barcelona’s performance last season, even though the Spanish side failed to add a trophy to their cabinet.
The 34-year-old, however, bade a farewell to Camp Nou after 21 years and joined his former Barcelona teammate, Neymar (who was also shortlisted) at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
See the full list of the 30 footballers shortlisted for the 2021 Ballon d’Or award below:
Goalkeeper
Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG)
Defenders
Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus)
Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)
Simon Kjær (AC Milan)
Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
Midfielders
N’Golo Kante (Chelsea)
Mason Mount (Chelsea)
Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan)
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Pedri (Barcelona)
Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Jorginho (Chelsea)
Phil Foden (Manchester City)
Forwards
Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)
Harry Kane (Tottenham)
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
Lionel Messi (PSG)
Neymar (PSG)
Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)
Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Gerard Moreno (Villarreal)
Luis Suarez (Atletico Madrid)
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