Ballon d'Or 2017: Neymar, Kante & Suarez among nominees

David de Gea and Harry Kane have joined the likes of Neymar and Luis Suarez as nominees for the 2017 Ballon d'Or award, with the first 15 candidates released.

Juventus forward Paulo Dybala and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric also feature, with France Football releasing the full 30-man list in batches over the course of October 9.

Modric, meanwhile, played pivotal roles as Madrid won the Liga title, while Zinedine Zidane's side became the first team to win back-to-back Champions League titles, and is joined on the list by team-mates Sergio Ramos and Marcelo.

Both Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the current holder of the award and aiming to claim his fifth title, and Lionel Messi are expected to be nominated later in the day, while the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Gianluigi Buffon are also likely to be included.

Here are the nominees so far: Neymar, Luka Modric, Paulo Dybala, Marcelo, N'Golo Kante, Luis Suarez, Sergio Ramos, Jan Oblak, Philippe Coutinho, Dries Mertens, Kevin de Bruyne, Robert Lewandowski, David De Gea, Harry Kane, Edin Dzeko

UCJ, UNILORIN.