By Omobolaji Oyegunle, London Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar are the three finalists for the 2015 Ballon d’Or, FIFA announced Monday afternoon.
The only difference this year is the presence of Neymar; Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer was one of the finalists along with long-term nominees Messi and Cristiano last year.
Messi and Cristiano have contested the sward in successive years since 2011, while the Argentinean has not missed a single gala since 2007.
The other candidates who have been left of the list of three finalists include: Sergio Agüero, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andrés Iniesta, Toni Kroos, Robert Lewandowski, Javier Mascherano, Thomas Müller, Manuel Neuer, Paul Pogba, Ivan Rakitic, Arjen Robben, James Rodríguez, Alexis Sánchez, Luis Suárez, Yaya Touré and Arturo Vidal.
This year, the big favourite to scoop the award is Messi, who has the chance to collect what would be his fifth Ballon d’Or. The FIFA gala will held in Zurich on 11 January 2016.
