Messi has a record four Ballon d’Ors to his name and he is almost certain to make it five in January. PHOTO: AFP
PARIS: Real Madrid’s blockbuster ‘BBC’ forward line and Barcelona’s devastating ‘MSN’ trio are set to go head-to-head for the 2015 Ballon d’Or award after all six were named on the 23-man shortlist by FIFA on Tuesday.
Barcelona — who won La Liga, the Champions League and domestic cup last season — understandably dominate the shortlist with as many as six players on the list. The favourite for the prestigious award, Argentina skipper Lionel Messi, is joined by Javier Mascherano (Argentina), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Neymar (Brazil), Ivan Rakitic (Croatia) and Luis Suarez (Uruguay).
The sextet will be up against last year’s winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, and his Real Madrid teammates Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez, Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema.
Messi rivalry helps Ronaldo become better: Zinedine Zidane
Real’s contingent of five is matched by that of German giants Bayern, with Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Mueller, Arjen Robben, Arturo Vidal and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer all making the cut.
Vidal is joined by Chilean compatriot, Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez, after their Copa American success in July. Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure — winner of the last four African Player of the Year awards — is the only non-European or South American to make the list.
Despite Juventus’ run to the Champions League final and a domestic double, Vidal and Paul Pogba were the only two players from the Old Lady to make the cut.
The list was composed by the FIFA Football Committee and a group of experts from France Football. The winner will be announced in Zurich on January 11.
Insatiable Ronaldo collects fourth Golden Shoe award
The shortlist: And then there were 23
Sergio Agüero (Argentina/Manchester City), Gareth Bale (Wales/Real Madrid), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/VfL Wolfsburg/Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Belgium/Chelsea), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden/Paris Saint-Germain), Andres Iniesta (Spain/Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Germany/Real Madrid), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Javier Mascherano (Argentina/Barcelona), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Thomas Müller (Germany/Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Germany/Bayern Munich), Neymar (Brazil/Barcelona), Paul Pogba (France/Juventus), Ivan Rakitic (Croatia/Barcelona), Arjen Robben (Netherlands/ Bayern Munich), James Rodriguez (Colombia/Real Madrid), Alexis Sanchez (Chile/Arsenal), Luis Suarez (Uruguay/Barcelona), Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast/Manchester City), Arturo Vidal (Chile/Juventus/Bayern Munich).
Published in The Express Tribune, October 21st, 2015.
Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ