Of course, the Ballon d’Or shortlist is whittled down to 23 in December, then down again to just three names before a victor is crowned in January – Messi, Ronaldo and A. N. Other.
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Arsenal pair Alexis Sanchez and David Ospina have been included amongst a 59-man shortlist for Federation Internationale de Football Association Ballon D’Or award, leaked by Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo.
QPR’s Australian midfielder Massimo Luongo somehow makes the list along with Bournemouth’s Chelsea loanee Christian Atsu who has yet to start a game for the Cherries in the Premier League this season.
Ospina’s Colombia also had a successful tournament, with the highlight being a 1-0 victory over Brazil, but their campaign was ended prematurely in the quarter-finals as they lost to Argentina on penalties.
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Steven Gerrard came third in 2005, but the last Liverpool player to win the prestigious award was actually Michael Owen in 2001, following our five trophy calendar year. Last year, Messi voted for fellow Argentinian Angel di Maria, as well as Barcelona team-mates Andres Iniesta and Javier Mascherano, while Ronaldo voted for three of his Real pals: Sergio Ramos, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema.
