France Football magazine has published the list of thirty players, currently plying their trade in European leagues, who are in contention.
Two other Portuguese players Pepe (Real Madrid) and Sporting keeper Rui Patricio are in the frame but only one English player, Jamie Vardy, makes the list. Ronaldo’s main rival for the top honour will once again be Lionel Messi but it is the Portuguese hero who must be odds-on favourite. The Ballon d’Or is awarded for both individual performance as well as trophies won and Ronaldo is way out in front.
He has been in exceptional form for both club and country, having scored more than fifty goals for a sixth consecutive season - a record!
As well as winning EURO 2016, he helped Real Madrid win their eleventh Champions League title. Other notable names on the Ballon d’Or list include: Sergio Aguero (Man City), Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City), Neymar (Barcelona), Paul Pogba (Manchester United) and Luis Suarez (Barcelona).
The voting will be conducted solely by a panel of top football journalists with the shortlist of three being named ahead of the award ceremony in Paris on 9 January.