Ballon d'Or three-man shortlist announced
Posted Tuesday, December 01, 2015 by Foxsports.com
FIFA have announced the three-man shortlist for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or, with current holder Cristiano Ronaldo joined by Barcelona duo Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Ronaldo and Messi have dominated the competition in recent years, with Ronaldo claiming the last two titles, as well as in 2009 when he was at Manchester United. He was also runner-up to Messi in 2011 and 2012.
Messi won the award four times in a row between 2009 and 2012, making him the last player to win it while it was still organised by France Football magazine. Although the Argentine has lost out to his Portuguese nemesis the last two years, he was runner-up on both occasions, as well as when Ronaldo won it in 2008.
Neymar is new to the shortlist, but makes the cut this year after his role in Barca's treble winning campaign last season, when he scored 39 goals in all competitions in addition to his 16 from 17 appearances this season.
Should the Brazilian bag the award he will be the first to oust the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly since countryman Kaka received the honour in 2007.
Meanwhile, FIFA also announced the contenders for their 2015 FIFA World Coach of the Year award, with Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique and Jorge Sampaoli in the running.
Enrique receives the honour for guiding Barcelona to the treble last season, claiming the La Liga title, Copa Del Rey and the Champions League in his first season at the club.
His Barca predecessor, Guardiola, also enjoyed domestic success with Bayern Munich, winning the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal with ease but bowing out to Barca in the Champions League semi-final.
Sampaoli makes the cut for his achievements with the Chile national team this year, as they won their first ever Copa America trophy on home soil, beating Argentina in a penalty shoot-out to claim the trophy.
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