Sergio Aguero is among the contenders for the Ballon d'Or.
The Manchester City striker was the first of five names announced by France Football on Monday morning as part of a 30-man shortlist that will be revealed through the course of the day, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Joining him in contention are Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and Real Madrid pair Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.
Aguero is feeling the heat at City as he attempts to understand and carry out what Pep Guardiola wants from him, and failure to net against Southampton made it three league games without a goal for the first time since December 2015.