Juventus foward Cristiano Ronaldo has been shortlisted by the France Football Magazine for the 2018 Ballon D’Or. This is despite the foward facing grave rape allegations in regards to the Las Vegas rape scandal 0f 2008.
The Portuguese forward – who won his fifth Ballon d’Or in 2017 – is joined on the shortlist by Kane and former Real Madrid team-mate Gareth Bale.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Kane was among the third batch of nominees announced on Monday, along with Chelsea duo Eden Hazard and N’Golo Kante.
The names are released in groups of five throughout the day, with a 30-man shortlist eventually being drawn up ahead of the awards ceremony in Paris on December 3.
The other two players third group of nominees were Antoine Griezmann and Isco.
The Ballon d’Or is separate from FIFA’s own world player of the year awards, known as The Best, which was won by Real Madrid’s Croatian midfielder Luka Modric.
The shortlist is curated by the editorial office of France Football, and the winner is then picked from the list by a panel of international journalists, with one representative per country.
The Ballon d’Or is awarded according to three separate criteria. The panel judge nominees on: their performances during the calendar year, their talent and fair play, and their achievements throughout their career.
Each panel member picks their top five nominees, with their first pick being awarded six points, their second pick receiving four points, their third three points, their fourth two points and their final pick one point.
The player with the most points received once all panel members have cast their votes is awarded the Ballon d’Or. In the event of a tie, the player with the most first picks is given the award.
Here is the Full Nominees List:
Sergio Aguero- Manchester City & Argentina
Alisson – Liverpool & Brazil
Gareth Bale – Real Madrid & Wales
Karim Benzema – Real Madrid
Edinson Cavani – PSG & Uruguay
Thibaut Courtois – Real Madrid & Belgium
Cristiano Ronaldo – Juventus & Portugal
Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City & Belgium
Roberto Firmino- Liverpool & Brazil
Diego Godin – Atletico Madrid & Uruguay
Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid & France
Eden Hazard- Chelsea & Belgium
Isco – Real Madrid & Spain
Harry Kane – Tottenham Hotspur & England
N’Golo Kante- Chelsea & France