Women's Ballon d'Or 2018: Marta, Harder and Kerr among the 15 nominees

The inaugural award is set to be a tightly fought contest between women's best footballers

It is the first time a women's Ballon d'Or is being awarded, with the male version one of most prestigious individual trophies in world sport since first being issued by France Football magazine in 1965.

Brazilian veteran Marta, winner of FIFA's best player in 2018, is the favourite to take out the honour, with Danish attacker Pernille Harder and Australian flyer Samantha Kerr expected to provide competition.

Goal has compiled a list of the 15 nominees for the award that will be handed out in a Paris ceremony on December 3.

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1Christine Sinclair (Canada) - Portland
The oldest player in the nominee field at 35, Sinclair is fresh of a ripping season for Portland, in which she scored nine goals as the team fell just short in the NWSL final.

John David Mercer
2Wendie Renard (France) - Olympique Lyon
The imposing centre-half stands at a beastly 187cm tall. She was a FIFA FIFPro World XI member in 2015 and 2016.
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3Megan Rapinoe (USA) - Seattle
The USA veteran has been at the top of her game for many years as a midfielder with the US national team and a variety of other clubs including Olympique Lyon and most recently Seattle.

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4Lieke Martens (Netherlands) - Barcelona
Winner of last year's The Best FIFA Women's Player and also the UEFA equivalent, Martens is likely to be a contender this time around.
Minas Panagiotakis
5Marta (Brazil) - Orlando
The Brazilian veteran has won the FIFA Women's Player of the Year award on four occasions and most recently won The Best FIFA Women's Player in 2018. She has scored an unbelievable 110 goals in 133 appearances for her nation.
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6Amel Majri (France) - Olympique Lyon
The Tunisian-born utility excels in both a full-back and wing role on the left side of the pitch.
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7Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany) - Olympique Lyon
Marozsan, another creative midfielder on books of French giants Olympique Lyon, has consecutively won Germany's Female Player of the Year award.
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8Saki Kumagai (Japan) - Olympique Lyon
Kumagai is the Japanese national team captain and forms a significant part of the all-conquering Olympique Lyon defence.
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9Fran Kirby (England) - Chelsea
Kirby is a prolific striker who has scored 79 goals in 92 games for Reading and current club Chelsea.
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10Samantha Kerr (Australia) - Chicago Red Stars
Kerr is the all-time top scorer in the NSWL with 55 goals in 94 games across three clubs and has won two consecutive golden boots. She also won the ESPY award for best international women's footballer - meaning she is likely to be a contender.
11Lindsey Horan (USA) - Portland
Winner of the recent NWSL MVP, Horan is an all action midfielder who acts as a playmaker but also regularly scores goals.
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12Amandine Henry (France) - Olympique Lyon
Henry is a defensive midfielder who recently made the move from Paris Saint Germain to rivals Olympique Lyon. She has 74 caps and 11 goals for her nation France.
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13Ada Hegerberg (Norway) - Olympique Lyon
The 23-year-old has scored an extraordinary 102 goals in 87 appearances during a four-year-stint at Olympique Lyon. She also won BBC Women's Footballer of the Year in 2017 and the UEFA equivalent 12 months earlier.
Goal
14Pernille Harder (Denmark) - Wolfsburg
The winner of UEFA Women's Player of the Year award recently, Harder is a free scoring striker - who has banged in 23 goals in only 33 appearances for German club Wolfsburg. She is sure to be among the favourites.
15Lucy Bronze (England) - Olympique Lyon
Bronze is a brutal defender, who mainly plays at right-back for club and country. She won the PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year in 2014 and 2017, and also took home the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year.