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Ballon d'Or: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer make shortlist

Ballon d'Or 2014
Image: Manuel Neuer (L) joins Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on shortlist

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer will battle it out for the 2014 Ballon d'Or after being named on the three-man shortlist for the prestigious award.

The original 23-man shortlist - which included Gareth Bale as the only Briton - was trimmed to three by a group of football experts from the FIFA Football Committee and France Football.

Ronaldo is defending his crown after winning it in 2013 to end Messi's three-year run as the world's best player since FIFA and France Football merged their awards.

It is the eighth consecutive year that Messi has made the shortlist having broken both Champions League and La Liga scoring records this month.

FIFA awards shortlists

  • Ballon d'Or: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer
  • Coach of the Year: Joachim Low, Carlo Ancelotti and Diego Simeone
  • Puskas Award (best goal) James Rodriguez (v Uruguay in World Cup), Robin van Persie (v Spain in World Cup) and Stephanie Roche (v Wexford Youths)
  • Women's World Player of the Year: Marta, Nadine Kessler and Abby Wambach

He also won the Golden Ball at the World Cup, although he will end 2014 without a team honour as Argentina lost to Neuer's Germany in the World Cup final. 

Neuer, who won the Golden Glove award in Brazil, won the German league and cup double with Bayern Munich before lifting football's biggest prize, but he would become only the second goalkeeper to win the Ballon d'Or after the Soviet Union's Lev Yashin.

Ronaldo's World Cup campaign with Portugal ended in the group stage, but he enjoyed considerable success with Real Madrid in 2014, winning the Champions League, Copa del Rey and UEFA Super Cup while scoring 50 goals in 46 appearances for club and country in the calendar year.

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Life-changing goal for Roche

Germany coach Joachim Low, Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti and Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone were selected for the Coach of the Year award.

The trio selected for the Puskas Award for best goal were Colombia's James Rodriguez, for his goal against Uruguay in the 2-0 victory in their World Cup last 16 clash, Robin van Persie's leaping header against Spain in their World Cup group game and Irish woman Stephanie Roche for her stunning goal for Peamount United against Wexford Youths in October, 2013.

Roche does not make the women's player of the year shortlist which consists of Brazil's five-time winner Marta, Germany's European player of the 2013-14 season Nadine Kessler and America's all-time record goalscorer Abby Wambach, winner in 2012.

The winners of all the awards will be revealed at the final ceremony in Zurich on January 12.

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