FIFA Ballon d'Or: 23-man shortlist revealed

Ronaldo is the overwhelming favourite to retain the amalgamated title he won for the first time last year, while his perennial rival Messi is looking to pick up the accolade for a fourth time.

Both players each won a Ballon d'Or and a FIFA World Player of the Year award in their old incarnations, prior to the two prizes being merged into the new format in 2010. Messi won the award in 2010, 2011 and 2012, with Ronaldo winning in 2013.

Ronaldo's Real Madrid dominated the selection of 23 players along with Bayern Munich; a total of 12 names, six each, come from the two clubs.

Ronaldo is joined by Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos, Sergio Ramos and James Rodriguez from Madrid, while Messi's Barcelona team-mates Andres Iniesta, Javier Mascherano and Neymar also make the list.

German champions Bayern are represented by Mario Goetze, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Mueller, Arjen Robben, Bastian Schweinsteiger and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois is the only other keeper to make the list, the Belgian joining fellow Blues Diego Costa and Eden Hazard to be nominated.

Manchester City's Yaya Toure and Manchester United's Angel Di Maria are the only other Premier League players to feature, while the selection is completed by Paris Saint-Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba of Juventus.

A shortlist of three players will be announced on December 1.

Notably, Luis Suarez is not included on the shortlist despite winning the Golden Boot for his efforts at Liverpool last season.

The nominees for coach of the year were also revealed, with World Cup winner Joachim Loew heading the list.

Real's Carlo Ancelotti is also a leading contender after delivering the Spanish club their 10th European crown last season, while Bayern Munich's Pep Guardiola is also in the running.

Manchester United's Louis van Gaal, who guided Netherlands to the semi-finals in Brazil last summer, and Chelsea's Jose Mourinho also make the list.

Gareth Bale (Wales, Real Madrid), Karim Benzema (France, Real Madrid), Diego Costa (Spain, Chelsea), Thibaut Courtois (Belgium, Chelsea), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Real Madrid), Angel Di Maria (Argentina, Manchester United), Mario Goetze (Germany, Bayern Munich), Eden Hazard (Belgium, Chelsea), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden, Paris Saint Germain), Andres Iniesta (Spain, Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Germany, Real Madrid), Philipp Lahm (Germany, Bayern Munich), Javier Mascherano (Argentina, Barcelona), Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona), Thomas Mueller (Germany, Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Germany, Bayern Munich), Neymar (Brazil, Barcelona), Paul Pogba (France, Juventus), Sergio Ramos (Spain, Real Madrid), Arjen Robben (Holland, Bayern Munich), James Rodriguez (Colombia, Real Madrid), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany, Bayern Munich), Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast, Manchester City)

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

They may as well just give the award to Ronaldo now. The Real Madrid forward is 1/6 on with some bookies after helping Real Madrid win La Decima in Lisbon in May and scoring another bucketload of goals for his club side. But he had a shocking World Cup and surely that should count against him. This year has been defined by German excellence so it should go to one of Bayern and Germany's collection of stars, and who better than Thomas Mueller, scorer of five goals in Brazil and winner of a domestic double with Bayern Munich.