These are the only two Africans in the 2017 Ballon d'Or shortlist

desmond frimpong 14:20 - 11 October 2017

The award, which is void by a select panel of journalists, will be announced at a ceremony in London next month.

Two African players are in the 30-man shortlist released on Monday for the 2017 Ballon dOr.

The two players are Sadio Mane from Senegal who plays his club football with Liverpool and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who stars for Borussia Dortmund and his from Gabon.

Current holder Cristiano Ronaldo is expectedly topping the list.

Ronaldo, who scored 42 goals in 46 games as Real Madrid won La Liga and the Champions League last season, is hoping to win the prestigious award back-to-back.

If the Portuguese star succeeds, it would be his fifth Ballon d'Or; a feat that would move level Ronaldo with long-time rival Lionel Messi who is also among the latest nominees.

Also, the likes of Neymar, N'Golo Kante and Kylian Mbappe who enjoyed varying degrees of successes with their clubs and countries are also shortlisted.

The Ballon d'Or (French for 'Golden Ball') is an annual individual award which is given to the footballer who is deemed to have performed the best during the previous year.