Three Portuguese players nominated for Ballon d'Or award

The 30-man shortlist for the 2019 Ballon d’Or has been announced, with no fewer than three Portuguese players in contention for the prestigious award.

There are no surprises as 5-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the players that makes the cut, the Portugal legend and Juventus forward having come off a strong season for both club and country.

Overall, Ronaldo received 16 nominations for the award, making him one of the front-runners to win the prestigious individual prize.

Alongside Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva is also deservedly included in the shortlist, the Manchester City winger having come off a sensational season with his club, having won the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Community Shield with Guardiola’s side, as well as leading Portugal to Nations League success over the summer.

There was something more of a surprise, though, with a third Portuguese player also making it onto the shortlist - and it wasn’t Bruno Fernandes.

The Sporting man was arguably the best-performing Portuguese player of them all last season, almost single-handedly guiding Sporting to both League Cup and Portuguese Cup glory, as well as ensuring Sporting managed to stay at least partially competitive in a league dominated by Benfica and Porto.

It was young star Joao Felix that made the cut instead of Bruno Fernandes, though, his huge 120 million euro move to Atletico Madrid undoubtedly playing a huge role in his inclusion on the list.

Nevertheless, it will predominantly be his displays for Benfica that earned him a deserved spot on the 30-man shortlist, and it is a clear indication of the bright future he has ahead of him.

There was something of a shock by the fact that not one Spanish player made the shortlist - the first time in 26 years that no Spanish player has been nominated for the award, a good indication of the current state of Spanish football on the national scene.

Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo author: Дмитрий Садовников. License link.