Five Man City players could win the Ballon d'Or but probably won't

Manchester City were named Club of the Year at last season's Ballon d'Or awards, with Kevin De Bruyne third in the overall rankings for the prestigious Men's Player of the Year accolade.

No City player had ever finished in the top three of the Ballon d'Or standings, and the club will feel confident of at least matching that feat this year, having won the treble in historic fashion. City have seven nominations, plus former captain Ilkay Gundogan, with most of them having performed well enough to be considered a genuine contender.

City look set to retain their Club of the Year crown, with 10 nominations across the men's and women's shortlists (plus two players who have left the club), with Barcelona the nearest contenders with eight nominations. While that is an improvement on last year's six nominees and evidence of City's progress in both the men's and women's game, the main eyes at the Etihad will be on the biggest prize.

Despite City's dominance in Europe and England last season, they may be forced to wait for their first-ever Ballon d'Or. Lionel Messi is the odds-on favourite after leading Argentina to the World Cup in December - even though his domestic form at PSG wasn't amazing, and he has only recently started to impress after moving to Inter Miami.

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City would argue that second-favourite Erling Haaland has in fact had a better year in terms of his form, scoring 52 goals last season before netting six this year. He has not only smashed the Premier League scoring record in a single season, but done so in his first season, and was the Champions League top scorer. All at 22.

Messi may have the World Cup, but even a player of his