Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar have been confirmed as the trio who will vie for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d’Or.
The Real Madrid forward will be hoping to defend his grip on the award for a third successive term, while his Argentine rival has now reached the podium for a record ninth time.
And standing in the way of the pair is Neymar, rewarded for his 39 goals last season and impressive form this time out, which has seen him net 13 times and take the baton in Messi’s injury-enforced absence.
Messi has also been nominated for the Puskas Award for his solo goal against Athletic Bilbao in the 2015 Copa del Rey final, alongside Alessandro Florenzi for his lob from the halfway line against Barcelona earlier in the campaign and Brazilian forward Wendell Lira.
For the Coach of the Year, Luis Enrique will do battle with his former Barcelona teammate Pep Guardiola and Jorge Sampaoli, the latter of whom guided the Chile to Copa America glory in the summer.
The gala will be held in Zurich on January 11, when the women’s equivalents and FIFPro World XI will also be announced.
