Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe Among 2018 Ballon d'Or Nominees

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are among the nominees for the 2018 Ballon d'Or after the players in contention for the award were announced on Monday, per France Football (h/t Eurosport).

The Juventus, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forwards are joined by Real Madrid's Gareth Bale, who scored twice as a substitute in last season's UEFA Champions League final, as well as FIFA World Cup winners Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, Hugo Lloris and N'Golo Kante.

Bale's Real team-mates Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Marcelo, Karim Benzema, Isco and Thibaut Courtois are also on the overall 30-man list, along with PSG attackers Neymar and Edinson Cavani, and Barca's Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic.

Manchester City duo Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne are also included, with Liverpool attackers Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker has been nominated after moving to Anfield from AS Roma in the summer in a deal that eventually made him the second-most expensive stopper in history.

TF-Images/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane and Chelsea's Eden Hazard are further representatives from the Premier League.

Messi and Ronaldo have monopolised the Ballon d'Or for the last 10 years.

Ronaldo won the award in 2017 as a Real Madrid player. He went on to help Los Blancos win the Champions League for a third year running, giving him five of the trophies for his career.

A £99.2 million switch to Juventus during this summer hasn't stopped Ronaldo's success in front of goal:

The Portuguese is facing allegations of sexual assault brought by Kathryn Mayorga, per German source Der Spiegel. Mayorga's lawyer, Leslie Stovall, has said he's been contacted by a second woman accusing Ronaldo of sexual assault, per Caroline Graham of The Mail on Sunday.

Mbappe has had an impressive 12 months, culminating in France's success at the 2018 World Cup.

The prodigy will win at least one Ballon d'Or during his career, even if he's made to wait beyond 2018 for the accolade. The 19-year-old made the World Cup his own, claiming the FIFA Young Player award as France lifted the trophy in Russia.

Mbappe has continued to defy expectations for a teenager with superb displays for PSG. He set yet more records during Sunday's 5-0 win over Lyon in Ligue 1:

It's merely a matter of when, not if, Ballon d'Or voters will celebrate Mbappe's extraordinary talent.

Modric has the hardware to back his play after winning both the Golden Ball as the best player at this summer's World Cup and the FIFA Best award.

The latter prize was handed out at an awards ceremony in London back in September. It gives the Los Blancos playmaker the momentum he needs to break the Ronaldo and Messi hegemony over this particular prize.

TF-Images/Getty Images

Looking past Messi won't be easy for the voters considering the terrific No. 10 continues to thrive for Barcelona. Not that one was needed, but Messi recently offered a reminder of his brilliance during a 4-2 demolition of Spurs in the Champions League.

Of the other nominees, De Bruyne's form for City makes him a strong contender. The playmaker not only helped City win last season's Premier League title with a record 100 points, he was also the catalyst for Belgium finishing third at this summer's World Cup.

Like De Bruyne, Hazard thrived for the Red Devils in Russia. The artful No. 10 has also been showcasing his magic at club level for Chelsea.

Hazard scored the only goal to beat Manchester United in last season's FA Cup final, the final game in charge for Antonio Conte. Maurizio Sarri is now in the dugout for the Blues, and Hazard has already become his attacking talisman:

As good as Hazard has been, Griezmann is a stronger candidate to take home the award. He lifted the World Cup with France, scoring from the penalty spot during the 4-2 win over Croatia in the final.

Griezmann had already won the UEFA Europa League with Atletico Madrid, after the intelligent forward helped himself to a pair of goals in the final against Marseille.

Salah would be close to a certainty for this award if the ceremony was held back in early May. The Egypt international forward was completing a debut season at Liverpool during which he won the Golden Boot as the Premier League's top scorer.

Injury in the Champions League final after a clash with Real centre-back Ramos, who's also nominated, laid Salah low right at the moment when his brilliance appeared destined to reach a wider, global audience.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

It's fair to say Salah hasn't quite been the same since. The 26-year-old has scored three goals at the start of this season, but he is also on a run of just one goal in seven matches and none in his last four.

This barren stretch has left Barney Ronay of the Guardian to conclude: "The idea he was ever going to see off Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to win the Ballon d'Or looks a little fanciful."

Salah has gone cold at the worst possible time in awards season.