Ronaldo, Messi & Neymar on Ballon d’Or shortlist

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar make up the three-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or - the award given to the world footballer of the year.

It is the eighth consecutive year that Real Madrid’s Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Messi have been on the shortlist.

Mark Sampson is in contention for Fifa’s women’s football world coach of the year after guiding England to third place at the World Cup.

The winners will be announced at a gala in Zurich on 11 January.

Ronaldo has been named the world’s best footballer for the past two years, ending Messi’s four-year hold on an award regarded as the game’s most prestigious individual accolade.

The three contenders were chosen from a 23-man list that also included Wales and Real Madrid attacker Gareth Bale.

It is the first time 23-year-old Brazilian Neymar, who along with Messi has helped Barcelona to the top of La Liga, has made the final three.

All three candidates are among the 50 players to make the team of the year shortlist, while 28-year-old Messi is also nominated for the Puskas Award for the year’s best goal.

Messi has scored 48 goals so far in 2015, despite being injured for two months.

Portugal captain Ronaldo, 30, has also scored 48 times for club and country, but Real are six points adrift of Barca in La Liga.

The other award categories are women’s world player of the year and men’s football world coach of the year.

USA’s Carli Lloyd, Japan’s Aya Miyama and Germany’s Celia Sasic will vie to be named women’s world player of the year.

Luis Enrique heads the coach of the year shortlist after leading Barcelona to Champions League, La Liga and Spanish Cup triumphs.

His two rivals are Pep Guardiola, who led Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title, and Jorge Sampaoli, under whose guidance Chile won their first Copa America title this summer.

Source: BBC