Ronaldo among early nominees for Ballon d’Or
Premier League stars Sergio Aguero, Sadio Mane and Hugo Lloris have been nominated for the 2019 Ballon d’Or. Manchester City striker Aguero, his Liverpool counterpart Mane and the Tottenham goalkeeper Lloris were among the first five nominees revealed by France Football. They were joined by Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong and Ajax’s former Southampton forward Dusan Tadic. Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold have also been included in the 30-strong list, as have Barcelona keeper MarcAndre ter Stegen and Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek. There is a place for Paris Saint-Germain’s World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe. Five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo is also included on the list as is his Juventus teammate Matthijs de Ligt.