By RYAN TOLMICH
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are finalists once again for the FIFA Ballon d’Or.
FIFA announced Monday that the two La Liga stars will be joined by Bayern Munich and Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer as the nominees for this year’s Ballon d’Or. Ronaldo and Messi are in search of their third and fifth awards, respectively.
Ronaldo’s nomination comes on the heels of a Champions League-winning campaign, as the Portuguese star led Real Madrid with a record 17 European goals. Meanwhile, Messi added to his long list of record as well by asserting himself as both La Liga and the Champions League’s all-time leading scorer, while Neuer led the Germany to a World Cup triumph.
In addition to the Ballon d’Or nominees, FIFA also announced that Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti, Germany’s Joachim Loew and Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone have been shortlisted for Coach of the Year honors.
Both awards are set to be presented on Jan. 12 in Zurich.
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What do you think of the nominees? Who do you view as the favorite?
Share your thoughts below.
Huh? Neuer is a goalkeeper?! I thought he played defensive mid—and for that reason, he should win this award.
That corner flag tackle vs Algeria was a special kind of beautiful.