2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or finalists: Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar
The 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or award will be awarded to either Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Neymar on Jan. 11 in Switzerland.
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The three finalists for the 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or were announced on Monday morning. The award, which goes to the world's best player of the year, will go to either Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo or Neymar.
FIFA #BallondOr nominees: Cristiano Ronaldo Lionel Messi Neymar https://t.co/5EcztsRwfL pic.twitter.com/kVyjEGe5Sx
— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) November 30, 2015
Messi has won the award three times, while Ronaldo has won it twice. Neymar has never won the award.
Here are the guidelines for the award, per FIFA's official website:
The Awards reward the best in each category, without distinction of championship or nationality, for their respective achievements during the period 22 November 2014 to 20 November 2015 inclusive.
This is how the voting process works, per FIFA's official website:
Voting will commence in the week beginning 26 October 2015, to be completed by 20 November 2015
Here's a closer look at each candidate for the coveted award:
| Club | Player, Age, Nationality | Goals/Assists* |
|---|---|---|
 |
Lionel Messi, 28, ArgentinaThe Argentine is going for a fourth Ballon d'Or award. He has the record at three, with his last one coming in 2012. Last season was an incredible one for him, making him the odds-on favorite. Messi was dominant, scoring 58 goals, which is his third highest total in a season for the club. He scored 43 of his goals in La Liga action, while guiding the club to glory in the Champions League final against Juventus. Thanks to his play and the MSN trio, Barcelona conquered the treble, winning the Copa Del Rey, La Liga and Champions League. For Argentina, he led the team to the 2015 Copa America final but lost to Chile in penalties. |
57/22 |
 |
Cristiano Ronaldo, 30, PortugalThe Portuguese is going for his third consecutive Ballon d'Or award, which would match his Catalan rival Messi for the most. Statistically, last season was his best ever, scoring 61 goals. But the club didn't have any success when it mattered most, failing to win a major trophy. However, he did put up a solid campaign for his country, leading Portugal to a direct qualification for the UEFA Euro 2016 in Paris. In the end, the expectation is that the absence of silverware will result in Ronaldo missing out on this piece. |
54/17 |
|
Neymar Jr., 23, BrazilThe Brazilian is looking for his first crown, and this is his first nomination. The former Santos man dramatically improved from his first season at Camp Nou. After scoring 15 times his first season in 2013-14, he scored 39 goals in 2014-15 for Barcelona, including against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League final. Neymar (along with Suarez) picked up the slack after Messi went down with an injury. He is currently the top goalscorer in La Liga with 14 goals. For Brazil, Neymar was suspended four games for confronting an official at the end of a group stage match against Colombia in the 2015 Copa America. He made his return against Argentina earlier this month in World Cup qualifying play, but failed to make much of an impact. Though he's a fine candidate for the award, he has little chance of picking up the hardware since he'll be competing against Messi and Ronaldo for this one. |
44/13 |
(* Goals and assists accumulated over Nov. 22, 2014-Nov. 20, 2015 for club and national team)
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Kevin De Bruyne (Wolsburg/Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris St. Germain), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), James Rodriguez (Real Madrid), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal), Luis Suarez (Barcelona), Yaya Toure (Manchester City) and Arturo Vidal (Juventus/Bayern Munich) were the 20 players on the shortlist that failed to make the cut for the award.
The FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala will take place on Jan. 11 in Switzerland. The awards will be given out to the top players and coaches of the year for both men and women.
On the women's side, Carli Lloyd of USA is a finalist for player of the year, which USWNT coach Jill Ellis is up for coach of the year. For men's coach, it's between Luis Enrique of Barcelona, Pep Guardiola of Bayern Munich and Jorge Sampaoli of Chile.
Who are your favorite to win the awards?
