28 October 2014
Paul Pogba has enjoyed an excellent 2014 for both club and country.
After winning his second consecutive Scudetto title in May 2014 and also going on to secure the World Cup’s Young Player award following a series of fantastic displays at this year’s tournament in Brazil, the 21-year-old has now been selected in good company among a 23-man shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d’Or.
On 1 December, the entire list will be whittled down to just three with the outright winner announced on 12 January 2015 in Zurich.
Here is the complete shortlist of the 23 players in the running: 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 (Netherlands), James Rodriguez (Colombia), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast).
Congratulations are also in order for former Bianconeri managers Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte who find themselves on the ten-man shortlist for FIFA coach of the year award.
