Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar Among 2017 Ballon d'Or Nominees

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi once again head the nominees for the 2017 Ballon d'Or, presented to the best male player over the last year as voted by football journalists.

The duo have monopolised the award over the last nine seasons and Portuguese Ronaldo will be looking to equal Messi's five wins this year after Real’s UEFA Champions League and La Liga double in 2016-17. 

Neymar, Luis Suarez, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane are also among the players on the 30-man shortlist, announced on Monday by France Football in six blocks of five nominees. 

Here is the full list, courtesy of France Football:

• Neymar, Paris Saint-Germain, Brazil
• Luka Modric, Real Madrid, Croatia
• Paulo Dybala, Juventus, Argentina
• Marcelo, Real Madrid, Brazil
• N'Golo Kante, Chelsea, France
• Luis Suarez, Barcelona, Uruguay
• Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid, Spain
• Jan Oblak, Atletico Madrid, Slovenia
• Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool, Brazil
• Dries Mertens, Napoli, Belgium
• Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City, Belgium
• Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich, Poland
• David De Gea, Manchester United, Spain
• Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur, England
• Edin Dzeko, Roma, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Antoine Griezmann, Atletico Madrid, France
• Toni Kroos, Real Madrid, Germany
• Gianluigi Buffon, Juventus, Italy
• Sadio Mane, Liverpool, Senegal
• Radamel Falcao, Monaco, Colombia
• Lionel Messi, Barcelona, Argentina
• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Borussia Dortmund, Gabon
• Edinson Cavani, Paris Saint-Germain, Uruguay
• Mats Hummels, Bayern Munich, Germany
• Karim Benzema, Real Madrid, France
• Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid, Portugal
• Eden Hazard, Chelsea, Belgium
• Leonardo Bonucci, AC Milan, Italy
• Isco, Real Madrid, Spain
• Kylian Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain, France

Argentinian Messi has had yet another superlative year, producing 46 goals and 11 assists for club and country, but his solitary reward for that, the Copa del Rey, may count against him when compared with great rival Ronaldo.

The Real Madrid man not only boasts comparable numbers—42 goals and the same number of assists for club and country—but that has helped him win La Liga and the Champions League, as well as the Spanish Super Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.

As such, Ronaldo would appear to have the edge in the race for the gong.

Neymar was among the first batch of players announced on Monday morning:

The Brazilian has never won football's most prestigious individual award, but he'll be hoping his move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer will help him step out of Messi's shadow and increase his chances of doing so.

The forward has hit the ground running in the French capital, plundering eight goals in as many matches as well as laying on seven assists.

It was clear from the outset he would thrive at the club, per Squawka Football:

He also grabbed 14 goals and 13 assists for Barcelona in 2017 prior to his move and helped the Blaugrana win the Copa del Rey along with team-mate Suarez.

The Uruguayan was perhaps even more impressive than the Brazilian in the first half of the year, as reflected by his superior numbers—he struck 22 times in all competitions and managed 12 assists—but he has struggled this season, as football journalist Rafael Hernandez noted:

It's understandable his form has dipped as he has been playing with a cyst in his knee, but it's likely to scupper his chances of winning.

While he's not overly likely to trouble the likes of Messi or Ronaldo for the Ballon d'Or this year, it's also worth noting Kane has received his first nomination after a stellar 2017, illustrated by BT Sport Score:

"

Harry Kane in 2017:

38 Goals
34 Games

He just can't stop scoring  pic.twitter.com/1opXISaaIG

— BT Sport Score (@btsportscore) October 8, 2017"

Unlike Jamie Vardy's nomination last year, this England forward will likely have many more to come.

Should he continue to establish himself among the world's elite and perhaps add some major silverware to his trophy cabinet, he may have a realistic chance in the future of becoming the first Englishman since Michael Owen to win it.