Vardy rivals Ronaldo for Ballon d’Or
JAMIE VARDY was named on the 30- man shortlist for the 2016 Ballon d’Or yesterday, making him the first Englishman in four years to be in contention for the award.
It caps an astonishing rise for the former Stocksbridge Steels striker, who scored 24 goals on the way to Leicester’s Premier League title.
As well as being named Footballer of the Year, Vardy enjoyed a spectacular introduction to international football when he scored with a back-heel against Germany.
However, his status as the only English nominee for the Ballon d’Or since Wayne Rooney received 0.39 per cent of the vote in 2012 demonstrates the size of the task facing Gareth Southgate.
The pool of world-class players available to the England manager has shrunk dramatically since 2009, when Rooney was joined by Frank Lampard, John Terry and Steven Gerrard on the shortlist.
France Football magazine are now the sole organisers of the prize given to the best footballer in the world following a split from FIFA.
Cristiano Ronaldo is odds- on favourite to win this year’s award, but faces competition from Barcelona trio Luis Suarez, Neymar and last year’s winner Lionel Messi.
Gareth Bale could also be a contender having starred in Real Madrid’s Champions League triumph and then led Wales the Euro 2016 semi-finals.
West Ham’s Dimitri Payet is one of seven Premier League players to be included. Vardy’s Leicester team-mate Riyad Mahrez, the PFA Player of the Year, is also on the list, along with Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City, Tottenham’s goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and Manchester United summer signings Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.