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PARIS. — Three-time world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo will have to take on Real Madrid teammate Gareth Bale for the Ballon d’Or. Both were on the 2016 shortlist announced yesterday which also featured Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero, Borussia Dortmund’s Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Juventus veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Ballon d’Or sponsors France Football magazine were releasing the names of the 30 shortlisted players in batches of five over the course of yesterday. Argentine superstar Lionel Messi was expected to be added later.

Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Manchester City duo Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne represent the English Premier League, while Borussia Dortmund forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Juventus trio Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain and Gianluigi Buffon also feature.

Atletico Madrid’s Diego Godin, Koke and Antoine Griezmann, Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta and Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski complete the shortlist as it stands, with the remaining 15 names set to be revealed late last night.

Bale starred for Wales and and Ronaldo led Portugal at Euro 2016, and both helped Real Madrid win their second Champions League in three years in May.

Portugal captain Ronaldo, who last won the Ballon d’Or in 2014, is currently favourite to take home the trophy for the fourth time after helping his country beat Griezmann’s France to win Euro 2016.

This year’s edition of the prestigious individual prize will be judged solely by a panel of journalists after FIFA and France Football ended their partnership.

Between 2010 and 2015, FIFA’s World Player of the Year award had been combined with the Ballon d’Or to create the FIFA Ballon d’Or, which was decided by a combination of votes from national team managers, captains and journalists.

The first Ballon d’Or was won by Stanley Matthews, at the time with Blackpool, who beat Alfredo Di Stefano for the inaugural title in 1956.

Last year’s honour went to Ronaldo’s arch rival Messi, the Barcelona and Argentina legend winning it for the fifth time. — AFP.