Two-time reigning World Footballer of the Year Lionel Messi is among 23 nominees for the 2011 top honour published on Tuesday by the ruling body FIFA.
The Argentina star Messi is one of eight players from Spanish league and Champions League winners Barcelona in contention for the FIFA Ballon d’Or award to be announced on January 9, 2012.
Eternal Spanish rivals Real Madrid have five players on the list, including former winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
World and European champions Spain lead the country breakdown with seven players ahead of Germany, who have a trio in Bayern Munich forward Thomas Mueller as well as midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger (Munich) and Mesut Oezil (Real).
Copa America champions Uruguay have Diego Forlan (Inter Milan) and Luis Suarez (Liverpool) on the list, with Brazil (Dani Alves and Neymar) and Argentina (Messi, Sergio Aguero) also on two nominees each.
Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o, who now plays in Russia at Anzhi Makhachkala, is the only African player and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney the only Englishman picked.
FIFA also published a list of 10 names for the Coach of the Year award, ranging from Barca’s Pep Guardiola and Real’s Jose Mourinho to Uruguay’s Oscar Tabarez and Andre Villas-Boas (formerly Porto, now Chelsea).
Germany is also represented twice in that list, with Joachim Loew of the national team, who won all 10 Euro 2012 qualifiers, and Juergen Klopp from Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund.
The shortlists were compiled by FIFA experts and those from French magazineFrance Football.
The men on the lists (as well as the women’s players and coaches published last week) are now up for a vote among national team captains and coaches as well as selected media representatives. The three finishers with the most votes will be revealed on December 5.
Nominated players: Eric Abidal (Barcelona, France) Sergio Aguero (Manchester City, Argentina) Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France) Iker Casillas (Real Madrid, Spain) Daniel Alves (Barcelona, Brazil) Samuel Eto’o (Anzhi Makhachkala, Cameroon) Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona, Spain) Diego Forlan (Inter Milan, Uruguay) Andres Iniesta (Barcelona, Spain) Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina) Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich, Germany) Nani (Manchester United, Portugal) Neymar (Santos, Brazil) Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid, Germany) Gerard Pique (Barcelona, Spain) Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, Portugal) Wayne Rooney (Manchester United, England) Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich, Germany) Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan, Netherlands) Luis Suarez (Liverpool, Uruguay) David Villa (Barcelona, Spain) Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid, Spain) Xavi (Barcelona, Spain)
Nominated coaches: Vicente Del Bosque (Spain, Spain national team) Alex Ferguson (Scotland, Manchester United) Rudi Garcia (France, OSC Lille) Pep Guardiola (Spain, Barcelona) Juergen Klopp (Germany, Borussia Dortmund) Joachim Loew (Germany, Germany) Jose Mourinho (Portugal, Real Madrid Oscar Tabarez (Uruguay, Uruguay) Andre Villas-Boas (Portugal, Porto, Chelsea) Arsene Wenger (France, Arsenal).