FIFA Announces Ballon d'Or Shortlist With Cristiano Ronaldo And Lionel Messi Leading Names

The shortlist for the 2015 Ballon d'Or has been announced, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi set to battle it out again.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are among the 23-man shortlist for the 2015 Ballon d'Or.

The award, which is ultimately decided by the captains and head coaches of national teams as well as media representatives, will be presented to the player considered to be the best performer in the calendar year.

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, winner the past two years, and four-time winner Lionel Messi of Barcelona are once again set to compete for the top prize, with the duo sharing the top two spots since 2011.

All 23 candidates play in Europe, with 11 players playing in La Liga, five in the Premier League, five in the Bundesliga and just the one nomination from both Ligue 1 and Serie A.

German champion Bayern Munich has five candidates for the top prize, while Madrid is the next closest with four.

World Cup 2014 finalists Argentina and Germany are the best represented nations in the list with Messi, Javier Mascherano, Sergio Aguero, Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller and Manuel Neuer all featuring.

The ceremony will take place on January 11, 2016, in Zurich.

23-man shortlist in full:

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City/Argentina)

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid/Wales)

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/France)

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City/Belgium)

Eden Hazard (Chelsea/Belgium)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain/Sweden)

Andres Iniesta (Barcelona/Spain)

Toni Kroos (Real Madrid/Germany)

Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich/Poland)

Javier Mascherano (Barcelona/Argentina)