Ronaldo, Messi finalists for soccer's world-player-of-the-year award
- 9 years ago
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina's Lionel Messi head the 23-man shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d'Or, the award presented annually to soccer's world player of the year.
Ronaldo has won the award the last two years while Messi won it in each of the four previous years.
Ronaldo, who plays for Real Madrid in Spain's La Liga, scored a league-best 48 goals last season and is second with six this season.
Messi scored 43 times for Barcelona last season and had three goals before going down with an injury this fall.
Five of the other finalists played on Messi's club team, which won last spring's Champions League, while five each came from Real Madrid and German champion Bayern Munich.
Ronaldo has won the award the last two years while Messi won it in each of the four previous years.
Ronaldo, who plays for Real Madrid in Spain's La Liga, scored a league-best 48 goals last season and is second with six this season.
Messi scored 43 times for Barcelona last season and had three goals before going down with an injury this fall.
Five of the other finalists played on Messi's club team, which won last spring's Champions League, while five each came from Real Madrid and German champion Bayern Munich.