With the Ballon d'Or nominees officially unveiled, has
broken down this year's field while taking a look at some of
the most interesting facts surrounding those involved.




Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi once again headline the
list of players in the running for the Ballon d'Or as France
Football unveiled a list of 30 nominees on Monday.




The two have had stranglehold on the award in recent years
with Kaka being the last player to top the duo for the
annual award.




This year's field has a number of interesting candidates,
including Luka Modric, who claimed FIFA's Best Men's
Player award, as well as a strong French contingent
following this summer's World Cup triumph.






Ballon d'Or 2018 Fact 1
8 - The number of Real Madrid players selected. Crowned
as Champions League winners for the third time in a
row, the Spanish club is the most represented team
among the nominees.






Ballon d'or 2018 Fact 2
14 - The amount of nominees from La Liga. It is the
league most represented ahead the Premier League (11),
Ligue 1 (3) and Serie A (2).






Ballon d'or 2018 Fact 3
14 - Cristiano Ronaldo is present among the nominees
for the 14th time in a row. It is the longest consecutive
streak just ahead of Lionel Messi (13).






Ballon d'or 2018 Fact 4
12 - The number of new nominees that weren't involved
in the 2017 Ballon d'Or. The rate of returning nominees is
lower than last year's award






Ballon d'or 2018 Fact 5
2 - This is the second time that Kylian Mbappé has been
nominated for the title of the Ballon d'Or. This is a new
record for a footballer under the age of 20.





Ballon d'or 2018 Fact 6
0 - The number of Germans and Italians players on the
list.





Ballon d'or 2018 Fact 7
7 - The number of French players on the list. The number
is the biggest contingent from Les Bleus since the 1998
edition, a year that saw a French victory for the last time
(Zinedine Zidane).






Ballon d'or 2018 Fact 8
13 - The number of players over 30 present among the
applicants. That's 43% of the list. Cristiano Ronaldo is
the oldest nominee at age 33.






Ballon d'or 2018 Fact 9
15 - Of the 30 players selected for this Ballon d'Or, half
are attackers, a proportion consistent with the trends of
previous years. There are also seven midfielders, four
defenders and four goalkeepers.






Ballon d'or 2018 Fact 10
27 - This is the number of nominees who were present in
Russia during the last World Cup. The three "intruders"
all ply their trade in Madrid: Jan Oblak, Karin Benzema
and Gareth Bale.