PARIS: Leicester City heroes Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, stars in their team’s fairytale run to the Premier League title, have been named on a 30-player longlist for the 2016 Ballon d’Or.
Vardy — who has enjoyed a meteoric rise from amateur football to rub shoulders with the game’s biggest names — is the sole Englishman nominated for the prestigious prize awarded by France Football magazine, which is organizing the trophy on its own after the end of a partnership with FIFA.
The Foxes pair are among eight Premier League stars on the list.
Three-time world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo and last year’s victor Lionel Messi, who has won it five times altogether, are among the favorites to take the prize once again.
Ronaldo, who took home the award in 2008, 2013 and 2014, set himself up for a potential fourth Ballon d’Or when captaining Portugal to Euro 2016 glory and helping Real Madrid to an 11th Champions League triumph.
Other members of Madrid’s Champions League-winning campaign have been recognized as well in Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos and Pepe.
Pepe and Ronaldo are also joined on the list by Sporting Lisbon’s Rui Patricio, who kept goal in Portugal’s run to Euro glory.
Atletico Madrid and France striker Antoine Griezmann is another leading contender. However, his compatriot Karim Benzema is not on the list, the Real Madrid striker’s year having been overshadowed by the sextape blackmail affair which led to him being frozen out of the national team ahead of the Euros.
The winner will be determined by a vote of journalists — national team captains and managers will no longer have a say after the ending of the five-year deal between France Football and FIFA.
The first Ballon d’Or was won by Stanley Matthews, at the time with Blackpool, who beat Alfredo Di Stefano for the inaugural title in 1956.
Full list
Sergio Aguero (ARG/Manchester City), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (GAB/Borussia Dortmund), Gareth Bale (WAL/Real Madrid), Gianluigi Buffon (ITA/Juventus), Cristiano Ronaldo (POR/Real Madrid), Kevin De Bruyne (BEL/Manchester City), Paulo Dybala (ARG/Juventus), Diego Godin (URU/Atletico Madrid), Antoine Griezmann (FRA/Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Higuain (ARG/Juventus), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (SWE/Manchester United), Andres Iniesta (ESP/Barcelona), Koke (ESP/Atletico Madrid), Toni Kroos (GER/Real Madrid), Robert Lewandowski (POL/Bayern Munich), Hugo Lloris (FRA/Tottenham Hotspur), Riyad Mahrez (ALG/Leicester City), Lionel Messi (ARG/Barcelona), Luka Modric (CRO/Real Madrid), Thomas Mueller (GER/Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (GER/Bayern Munich), Neymar (BRA/Barcelona), Dimitri Payet (FRA/West Ham United), Paul Pogba (FRA/Manchester United), Pepe (POR/Real Madrid), Rui Patricio (POR/Sporting Lisbon), Sergio Ramos (ESP/Real Madrid), Luis Suarez (URU/Barcelona), Jamie Vardy (ENG/Leicester City), Arturo Vidal (CHI/Bayern Munich)
Leicester heroes Vardy, Mahrez on Ballon d’Or longlist
Leicester heroes Vardy, Mahrez on Ballon d’Or longlist
Nacho Elvira keeps cool to lead by 2 shots at Dubai Invitational
- Spaniard goes into final round with advantage over Dylan Frittelli, Shane Lowry, Marcus Armitage
DUBAI: Nacho Elvira kept calm in breezy conditions to earn a two-shot advantage heading into the final round of the 2026 Dubai Invitational.
The Spaniard shared the overnight second-round lead with Shane Lowry at five under, and he negotiated an early bogey with four birdies to card a steady 68 on Moving Day at Dubai Creek Resort.
Elvira is seeking his third DP World Tour title after successes at the 2021 Cazoo Open, supported by Gareth Bale, and the 2024 Soudal Open.
At eight under he leads by two from a stellar chasing pack at six under, with Dylan Frittelli sharing second place after a sparkling 66 alongside Lowry and Englishman Marcus Armitage.
Elvira said: “I’m very pleased. It’s been a tricky couple of days with the wind. I’m pretty happy with it.
“I’ve been here long enough to not be too nervous tomorrow, in a way. I’m going to try and enjoy, and learn from the experiences in the past and see what happens. I’m extremely happy.”
Elvira was soon the sole leader, despite opening with three pars when Lowry bogeyed the third to slip back in the pack at four under alongside Frenchman Antoine Rozner and Frittelli, who made fast starts.
Lowry dropped another shot at the sixth but when he birdied the next, there was a four-way tie at the top.
His Spanish playing partner bogeyed the seventh just moments earlier as he joined Lowry, Rozner and Frittelli at four under.
The leadership group increased to five when Matt Wallace rolled in his third birdie of the day at the 10th.
Just as Wallace’s putt found the hole, Rozner jumped ahead on his own at five under with a gain at the ninth.
Frittelli’s birdie at the 11th saw the South African move alongside Rozner at the top, only for Lowry and Elvira to follow suit at the same hole for both players to rejoin the lead.
Elvira started his back nine with another birdie to regain the outright lead at six under and then extended his advantage to two when rolling in from 8 feet at the 13th.
Frittelli and Lowry remained in the chasing pack at five under and were joined by Armitage — who responded to a bogey at the seventh with three birdies in four holes from the 10th — and Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy opened with a birdie before dropping a shot at the fourth on a steady front nine, but gains at the 10th, 13th and 16th took him into contention.
A magical recovery from Frittelli at the last saw him close with an unlikely birdie to set the clubhouse mark of six under, with Elvira having three holes to play.
The leading Spaniard regained his two-shot advantage with a lovely 17-footer for birdie at the penultimate hole before closing with a par.
Lowry mixed two birdies and two bogeys on his front nine, but had to wait until the 17th for his next gain before horseshoeing his birdie putt at the last.
Frittelli was bogey-free in his 66 thanks to a hat-trick of birdies from the third before further gains at the 11th and last.
Armitage rolled in a birdie effort from 21 feet at the 18th to climb alongside Frittelli at six under.
World No. 2 McIlroy parred his way home in his 68 to sit in solo fifth, while Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen and South African Jacques Kruyswijk both carded flawless rounds of 66 with Spaniard David Puig for company at five under.
Geoff Wang was the 2026 Dubai Invitational Team Event Champion following a total of 17 under.
“It's incredible,” Wang said. “I’ve not spent a lot of time in Dubai, it’s only my second time, but to experience this place on this occasion and on this beautiful golf course, the tournament is exceedingly well run.”
