Barcelona pair Lionel Messi and Neymar were on Monday named on the shortlist for FIFA’s prestigious Ballon d’Or along with double reigning title holder, Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid. While Portuguese Ronaldo has triumphed over the last two seasons (in a total of three wins), Argentinian Messi has previously claimed the coveted award four times while Brazilian Neymar makes the shortlist for FIFA’s player of the year award for the first time.
Messi was the catalyst for Barcelona’s impressive run to three titles last season (the Champions League, La Liga and the Spanish Cup) and will be the standout favourite ahead of Ronaldo. The Portugal international might have finished the season without a trophy, but his individual talent shone out as he was La Liga’s highest scorer with 48 goals, and has notched up a
