October 28, 2014 – Federation of International Football (FIFA) today released a list of 23 players from which one will win 2014 FIFA Ballon D’Or.
The event will hold in Zurich, Switzerland on January 12, 2015. But the final decision of who emerges will be made by the captains and head coaches of the men’s national teams as well as by international media representatives selected by France Football.
During the event, FIFA FIFPro World XI, the FIFA Puskás Award – for the most beautiful goal of the year – the FIFA Presidential Award and the FIFA Fair Play Award will also be presented.
The lists of 23 male candidates were drawn up by football experts from the FIFA Football Committee and by a group of experts from France Football.
The 2014 FIFA Ballon d’Or shortlist includeGareth 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).
Others are 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) and Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast)
