City duo nominated for Ballon d’Or award
DUO Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne have been shortlisted for the Ballon d’Or.
But Paul Pogba is the only United player to make the 30-man shortlist.
Cristiano Ronaldo is in contention to retain the trophy for the third successive year.
The 33-year-old forward, who ended his nine-season stay at Real Madrid by moving to Juventus for £99m in the summer, is a five-time winner of the award.
Ronaldo played a key role in Real’s Champions League triumph last season and scored a World Cup hat-trick for Portugal against Spain.
Wales international Gareth Bale, scorer of a brace in Real’s European final win over Liverpool, is also among the players in contention.
Mohamed Salah is among nine Premier League players to be nominated after a record-breaking first season at Liverpool.
After arriving from Roma, Salah hit 32 goals in the Premier League – the most in a 38-game season – and 44 in all competitions in Liverpool’s run to the Champions League final, only for it to end on a sour note when the Egyptian suffered an early injury.
Sergio Ramos was the man who inadvertently caused that shoulder problem, and he is also nominated once again having lifted a fourth European title, while Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic and Raphael Varane cap off the 30-man list.
Lionel Messi, who won the award four times in a row, is also in contention.
But there is no place for United keeper David de Gea.