Usual suspects in FIFA Ballon d’Or 23-man shortlist, no Suarez!

FIFA Has released a list of nominees for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award which includes current holder Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Arjen Robben, and a host of other players who have been impressive in the course of the last one year.

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The list doesn’t include new Barcelona striker Luis Suarez who recently returned from his four months ban which he bagged for biting Giogio Chiellini during the World Cup.

Break down of the list reveals that Germany is the most represented country with a shortlist of about six players while English Premier League boast of Five  players , La Liga accounts for  a total of ten, Bundesliga has six all from Bayern, one from Italia Serie A and one from French Lig 1.

Gareth Bale (Wales), Karim Benzema (France), Diego Costa (Spain), Thibaut Courtois (Belgium), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Angel Di Maria (Argentina), Mario Gotze (Germany), Eden Hazard (Belgium), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Toni Kroos (Germany), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Javier Mascherano (Argentina), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Muller (Germany), Manuel Neuer (Germany), Neymar (Brazil), Paul Pogba (France), Sergio Ramos (Spain), Arjen Robben (Holland, James Rodriguez (Colombia), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast).

Meanwhile, here’s a list of coaches nominated for the manager  category:  

Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid), Antonio Conte (Juventus/Italy), Pep Guardiola (Bayern Munich), Juergen Klinsmann (USA), Joachim Low (Germany), Jose Mourinho (Chelsea), Manuel Pellegrini (Manchester City), Alejandro Sabella (Argentina), Diego Simeone (Atletico Madrid), Louis van Gaal (Holland/Manchester United).

The world football body had four days ago released the women’s category. In the statement on the body’s website, On 1 December, FIFA and France Football will announce in a live show the names of the three women and three men, as well as the three coaches for women’s football and three coaches for men’s football, who have received the most votes (without unveiling the winners). The three nominees for the FIFA Puskás Award and the FIFA FIFPro World XI shortlist for the best forwards (15), midfielders (15), defenders (20) and goalkeepers (5) will be unveiled in the end of November and the beginning of December.

Who will make the final cut? Drop your opinion