Ballon d'Or First 5 Nominees Announced

Real Madrid and Wales forward Gareth Bale is among the nominees for this year's men's Ballon d'Or award.

Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne and striker Sergio Aguero are also contenders, as are Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson and forward Robert Firmino.

The 30-man list of nominees will be revealed throughout the day.

The Ballon d'Or, a prestigious award presented since 1956, is given to the best player of the year.

The ceremony to announce the winner will take place in Paris on 3 December, when a women's award will be presented for the first time.

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Juventus from Real Madrid in the summer, won last year's Ballon d'Or and is again a contender.

Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin, Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema and keeper Thibaut Coutois, and Paris St-Germain attacker Edinson Cavani are the other nominees to have been named so far.