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Ballon d'Or: If Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the world's top two - who is third?

Neuer shortlisted for prize with La Liga pair

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FIFA have whittled down their Ballon d'Or list from 23 to three, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer set to find out in January which one of them will win the coveted award.

However, with Ronaldo and Messi widely recognised as the world's top two players, Neuer's place on the shortlist suggests he's the third best player in the world right now. 

Do you agree? We take a look at the players who could be considered the best of the rest, behind the La Liga duo...

Manuel Neuer

Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munchen in action during the Champions League Group E match between Manchester City and Bayern Munchen

“In my time at United, it’s probably the finest display of goalkeeping against us.” That was Sir Alex Ferguson’s assessment of Manuel Neuer after a 2-0 Champions League win over Schalke in 2011. Since then the German has got even better.

Now at Bayern Munich, Neuer is a key figure for the German giants – and starred as his country won the World Cup in Brazil. “Manuel Neuer is the best goalkeeper by a long way. No one comes close to him,” says Peter Schmeichel.

Gareth Bale

Ballon d'Or shortlist

Cristiano Ronaldo
Lionel Messi
Manuel Neuer

The most expensive player in world football has silenced suggestions he may struggle to live up to his 100m euro price tag at Real Madrid and has enjoyed a stellar 2014. Bale became the first Welshman to score in a European Cup or Champions League final with his extra-time, back-post header, which put eventual-winners Real 2-1 up against rivals Atletico Madrid and took his tally to 22 in his first season in the Spanish capital.

Bale, who has played a key role in Wales’ positive start to Euro 2016 qualifying, also scored a sensational, match-winning goal in the Copa del Rey final, running from his own half – via the technical area – before slotting home in the 85th minute to defeat Barcelona 2-1 and lift his first trophy for Los Blancos.

“He was amazing,” Cristiano Ronaldo said of Bale after Real’s 2-0 Super Cup win over Sevilla in August. “Bale looked strong and fast. He is very important for us. I understand him, he understands me, I love playing with him.”

Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard was Chelsea’s star performer last season, with 17 goals in all competitions – despite several run-ins with boss Jose Mourinho – and has proved equally vital to the table-topping Blues this term.

The dynamic dribbler – who has attempted 100 runs with the ball and completed 62 in this campaign, both stats by far the most by any player in the Premier League – said at the start of this season that he is not yet a "top-five player". Mourinho, though, reckons the 23-year-old will soon belong in that category: “His talent allows him to think about going from a top player to become one of the greats of his generation,” he said.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

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In the year that he released his autobiography titled ‘I am Zlatan’, the Swede wrote himself into the history books by surpassing Carlos Bianchi’s record of 39 goals in a season for Paris Saint-Germain. The striker’s 26 in Ligue 1 helped seal a second successive title for the capital club – and Ibrahimovic’s second successive player-of-the-year award in France.

A Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired Portugal denied Ibrahimovic and Sweden a spot at the World Cup but the 33-year-old has bounced back from that disappointment with 10 goals in 13 appearances for club and country this season. The frontman has never been slow to sing his own praises, but even Zinedine Zidane says of him: “It’s beautiful to watch him play”.   

Sergio Aguero

“In terms of an out-and-out centre forward, Aguero is probably the number one striker in world football,” Jamie Carragher wrote in his skysports.com blog last week. With 17 goals in 19 games for a Man City side yet to fully hit their stride this season, the stats lend plenty of support to the Sky Sports pundit’s verdict.

It’s not just the volume of goals which set Aguero apart, though, but also the importance of many of his strikes. Forever assured of his place in City history for his title-winning goal against QPR in 2012, Aguero’s hat-trick against Bayern Munich to keep City’s Champions League hopes alive this season was typical of the man who delivers when his team-mates need him most.

Luis Suarez

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 11:  Luis Suarez of Liverpool looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Anfield

Luis Suarez was controversially omitted from FIFA’s Ballon d’Or list this season, after receiving a lengthy ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, however, his effectiveness for Liverpool, Uruguay and now Barcelona cannot be ignored.

Suarez shared the Golden Shoe with Cristiano Ronaldo in 2014 after netting 31 times in the Premier League for Liverpool last season, as the Reds narrowly missed out on a first title since 1990, and struck twice to end England’s World Cup hopes in Brazil. Ahead of his £75m move to Barcelona in the summer, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers said of the PFA Player of the Year: “He is a winner, his determination is unique, he is absolutely relentless.”

Neymar

Neymar: Celebrates after scoring against Turkey in Istanbul

The poster boy of the World Cup in Brazil didn’t disappoint on home turf – although the same could not be said of his team-mates. Four goals in five games only told half the story of Neymar’s impact at the World Cup, as he shrugged off the pressure on his young shoulders to drag the below-par hosts to the semi-finals – but missed the 7-1 humiliation by Germany after breaking a bone in his back against Colombia.

The 22-year-old has since been named Brazil captain but has shown no World Cup hangover this season, scoring 13 in 16 for Barcelona, after only netting that number in the entirety of 2013/14 for his club.

Arjen Robben

It is hard for a player to improve on a 12 months which included a league, cup and Champions League treble – especially when that player scored the winning goal in the Champions League final. However, Arjen Robben has recorded a superb 2014 on the back of his historic exploits last year.

A league and cup double with Bayern Munich was followed by a standout display at the World Cup, where he netted three times and helped Holland take third place. “He was the best player at the World Cup,” surmised Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, while team-mate Franck Ribery has said Robben – who started 2014/15 in fine style – deserves the Ballon d’Or trophy along with Neuer.

Toni Kroos

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JULY 13: Toni Kroos of Germany celebrates with his medal after defeating Argentina 1-0 in extra time during the 2014 FIFA World Cu

“Kroos is a wonderful player. He’s doing everything right, the pace in his passes is great and he sees everything. It’s nearly perfect.” That was the assessment of Johan Cruyff during the World Cup as the midfield maestro pulled the strings for eventual winners Germany. No wonder Manchester United were so desperate to land his signature.

However, Kroos instead switched Bayern Munich for Real Madrid in the summer and has already cemented his spot as a key player for Carlo Ancelotti’s side. With six assists from his first 13 La Liga games for the club, he’s been an integral component to a Real side which has won a club-record 16 straight games in all competitions this term.

Philipp Lahm

After captaining Germany to World Cup glory, Philipp Lahm announced his retirement from international football. It wasn’t a bad way to bow out. “He was not just a superb player for 10 years in the national team, but also a complete role model,” said German FA president Wolfgang Niersbach.

While Lahm doesn’t record the stunning goal-scoring feats of many rivals on this list - he scored the first brace of his career in October - his contribution to a Bayern Munich team which completed consecutive league and cup doubles this season doesn’t go unnoticed. “I believe he’s one of the five best players in the history of Bayern Munich. It’s a great honour to be his coach,” says Pep Guardiola. 

Who do you think is the third best player in the world? What about Diego Costa, Andres Iniesta and Karim Benzema? Use the message boards on skysports.com to share your views and vote in our poll...

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