The initial list of 23 players was whittled down to three after captains and coaches of both the men and women’s teams all 209 Fifa associations, as well as international media representatives, casted their votes.
Firm favourites Messi and Ronaldo, who share six Ballon d’Or trophies between them, made the final cut, alongside Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who becomes the first goalkeeper to make the final shortlist since compatriot Oliver Kahn in 2002.
The trio were voted for by 87% of the captains and coaches, while 94% of the media representatives that voted were in favour of the three named above.
In the women’s category, Germany’s Nadine Kessler, Brazilian sensation Marta and Abby Wambach from the USA will contest for the title of best women player in the world.
The contenders for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for both men’s and women’s football were also revealed.
Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti, Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone as well as German national team coach Joachim Low made the top three in the men’s category, while Ralf Kellermann (VfL Wolfsburg), Maren Meinert (Germany U-19 and U-20 national teams) and Norio Sasaki (Japan national team) vie for the coveted women’s coach award.
The three nominees for the FIFA Puskás Award for the “most beautiful goal of the year” were also announced, which include Stephanie Roche’s strike for Peamount United against Wexford Youths, James Rodriguez’s World Cup cracker for Colombia against Uruguay as well as Robin van Persie’s diving header for the Netherlands against Spain.