ZURICH — Neymar made the three-man Ballon D’Or shortlist for the first time, alongside Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi and title holder Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo won the world’s top player award for the last two years after ending Messi’s four-year winning streak.
The winner will be announced at a Jan. 11 gala in Zurich when a series of other awards are handed out.
The coach of the year shortlist features one from a national team — Chile’s Copa America winner Jorge Sampaoli — alongside Bayern Munich’s Pep Guardiola and Barcelona’s Luis Enrique.
The women’s player shortlist is headed by American World Cup winner Carli Lloyd, Aya Miyama (Japan) and Celia Sasic (Germany). Two of the same nationalities are represented on the coaching shortlist: Jill Ellis (US), Mark Sampson (England) and Norio Sasak (Japan).
Thumbnail photo via Facebook/FifaBallonDor
