French publication France Football has released the next batch of nominees for the 2018 Ballon d'Or award, and while last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo has made the shortlist once again, the likes of Lionel Messi, Mohamed Salah, Neymar and Luka Modric have not been nominated yet. 

Tired of reading? Click through the gallery above to see the first 15 nominees.

France Football, who handed out the FIFA Ballon d'Or in conjunction with FIFA between 2010 and 2015, are back to announcing their own award – the famous Golden Ball. The French publication handed out the award from 1956 to 2009, and reverted to handing out the accolade by themselves in 2016.

Luka Modric was named FIFA's The Best Player of the Year in September and also lifted the UEFA Player of the Year award, which makes him the favourite for the Ballon d'Or, too.

If the Croatian does not lift the Golden Ball, it would be the first time since 2004 that two different players win the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA accolade.

Ronaldo and Messi shared the prize between 2008 and 2017, each winning it five times, but it remains to be seen if either of the pair can beat Modric to this year's award.

Here are the first 15 nominees for the 2018 Ballon d'Or:

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Alisson Becker (AS Roma/Liverpool)

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain)

Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)

Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea/Real Madrid)

Kevin De Buryne (Manchester City)

Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Juventus)

Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)

Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)

Isco (Real Madrid) 

N'Golo Kante (Chelsea)

Read: Nominees For Ballon d’Or Revealed – Part 2

Note: France Football are announcing a 30-man shortlist in batches of five, with the rest of the nominees being revealed throughout the day.

Do you think Modric will beat Ronaldo and Messi to the 2018 Ballon d'Or prize? Have your say in the comments section below.