Friday 23 October 2015 14:43, UK
The 23-man FIFA Ballon d'Or shortlist was announced on Tuesday morning but can anybody stop Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from dominating again?
The pair have shared the award ever since the FIFA Player of the Year was combined with the original Ballon d'Or, with only Andres Iniesta breaking their grasp on the top two spots with a second-place finish in 2010.
Here is a look at the main contenders for the 2015 edition according to Sky Bet's Ballon d'Or odds:
Lionel Messi (1/9 with Sky Bet)
Messi has already won the award four times, once before its reformation and three times since, and if Sky Bet are right then an unprecedented fifth is coming his way. The Argentine led Barcelona to a La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey treble, scoring a remarkable 28 goals in the second half of the league season. He's also second to none in terms of assists from Europe's top five league according to Opta, with a tally of 13 only matched by Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne. However, Messi made less of an impression in the later stages of Barca's European triumph, scoring just twice since the turn of the year, while he netted just once as Argentina lost in the Copa America final to Chile. The 28-year-old opened up as Sky Bet's 1/5 favourite but has still attracted the majority of the money, prompting his odds to be cut even shorter, with his rivals all drifting in the betting.
Cristiano Ronaldo (5/1 with Sky Bet)
Only one footballer challenges Messi for the label of the world's greatest player, the star of Barca's bitter rivals Real Madrid. Ronaldo is looking to complete a hat-trick of Ballon d'Or awards after edging Messi in 2013 and 2014. but is up against the odds after ending the 2014/15 season empty handed. He has, however, been the leading scorer in European cup competitions in 2015, scoring 10 times in the Champions League since the turn of the year, including finding the net in both legs of their semi-final defeat to Juventus. History books have already been rewritten at the Bernabeu, with the 30-year-old becoming the club's all-time leading goalscorer, totting up 324 goals in 310 appearances.
Robert Lewandowski (25/1 with Sky Bet)
The Poland and Bayern Munich striker might be wishing the award was run over the regular season rather than the calendar year, having scored an incredible 22 goals in 17 appearances for club and country since the summer. Bayern have also racked up 12 successive wins after losing on penalties in the German Super Cup, while his heroics have fired Poland into the Euro 2016 finals. However, while Bayern also swept aside all in their path domestically last season, they were outclassed by Messi's Barca in the Champions League semi-finals, while Lewandowski's goal tally was well shy of Messi's and Ronaldo's in the first half of the year.
Neymar (28/1 with Sky Bet)
Seemingly the heir to Messi's mantel, Neymar has proved an increasingly important player for Barcelona, while he is already established as Brazil's No 1 talent. With Messi sidelined with a knee injury, the 23-year-old is currently La Liga's top scorer and there have been no histrionics in his relationship with Messi. But while it was Neymar who put the finishing touch to the Catalan side's Champions League triumph, Messi remains the main man at the Nou Camp.
Luis Saurez (33/1 with Sky Bet)
The third Barcelona player on the list has adapted impressively to La Liga life, putting his World Cup embarrassment aside to help form the most deadly attack in world football. With seven goals to his name, he is currently the second highest scorer in European club football this year, while only Messi and Ronaldo sit ahead in terms of domestic goal contributions, finding the net 19 times and assisting another 11 in La Liga since the turn of the year.
Outsiders: Alexis Sanchez 50/1, Paul Pogba 50/1, Gareth Bale 66/1, Eden Hazard 66/1, Arturo Vidal 66/1, Sergio Aguero 66/1, Manuel Neuer 66/1.
Manager of the Year contenders:
Betting on the manager award is even more one-sided, with Barcelona's Luis Enrique just 1/100 to claim the accolade for a first time. Juventus boss Massimo Allegri is, just like the Champions League final, expected to be runner-up to Enrique, but certainly deserves credit having led the Old Lady to Serie A and Coppa Italia success.
Jorge Sampaoli is next on the list at 33/1 and the only one to have secured international success, having led Chile to Copa America glory on home turf. Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho are up against odds of 66/1 apiece despite winning their domestic leagues, while Unai Emery, who led Sevilla to the Europa League title and back into the Champions League, is even longer odds at 100/1.
