FIFA announces Ballon d'Or shortlist

The shortlist for the 2015 Ballon d'Or has been
announced, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
set to battle it out again.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are among the 23-man
shortlist for the 2015 Ballon d'Or.

The award, which is ultimately decided by the captains and
head coaches of national teams as well as media
representatives, will be presented to the player considered to be
the best performer in the calendar year.

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, winner the past two years, and
four-time winner Lionel Messi of Barcelona are once again set
to compete for the top prize, with the duo sharing the top two
spots since 2011.

All 23 candidates play their football in Europe, with 11 players
plying their trade in La Liga, five in the Premier League, five in
the Bundesliga and just the one nomination from both Ligue 1
and Serie A.

German champions Bayern Munich have five candidates for the
top prize, while Madrid are the next closest with four.

World Cup 2014 finalists Argentina and Germany are the best
represented nations in the list with Messi, Javier Mascherano,
Sergio Aguero, Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer all
featuring.

The ceremony will take place on January 11 2016 in Zurich.
23-man shortlist in full:

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City/Argentina)

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid/Wales)

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/France)

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City/Belgium)
Eden Hazard (Chelsea/Belgium)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain/Sweden)
Andres Iniesta (Barcelona/Spain)

Toni Kroos (Real Madrid/Germany)

Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich/Poland)

Javier Mascherano (Barcelona/Argentina)

Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)

Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich/Germany)

Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich/Germany)

Neymar (Barcelona/Brazil)

Paul Pogba (Juventus/France)

Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona/Croatia)

Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich/Netherlands)

James Rodriguez (Real Madrid/Colombia)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal)

Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal/Chile)

Luis Suarez (Barcelona/Uruguay)

Yaya Toure (Manchester City/Ivory Coast)

Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich/Chile)