Lionel Messi, bidding for his third Ballon d'Or Award on the trot

Barcelona's Argentine international Lionel Messi, winner of the last two editions of the FIFA Golden Ball Award has once again been shortlisted by the International Football Federation for the 2011 award. For the second year running, the list of 23 players is replete with Barcelona players, with no fewer than eight nominated.

The candidates for the accolade were announced by FIFA on Tuesday.

Last year’s FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala memorably witnessed three Barcelona team-mates share the stage, and the 2011 event has the same, distinctly Catalan flavour, with Messi leading the field of Barcelona stars as he bids to win football’s top individual honour for the third year running

Lionel Messi has been a popular winner in each of the two previous years and, having already scored 45 times in 47 competitive appearances in 2011, his continuing presence among the frontrunners is hardly a surprise.

Cesc Fabregas, whose close-season transfer from Arsenal has helped swell the shortlist’s Camp Nou contingent from six to eight, believes that his Barça team-mate is once again the man to beat.

He said: "I would put my hand in fire that Messi will win the Ballon D'Or. He is a natural winner and a motivated fighter. What he has done we won’t see again. He gives everything and scores goals.”

Manchester United's England striker, Wayne Rooney, is the only English representative after managing to bounce back from an awful 2010, helping to guide United to their record 19th league title, reach their third Champions League final in four seasons and contribute to a rapid start to this campaign.

The English league champions have another player in the shortlist for the award, Portuguese international Nani, who won his club's players' player of the year prize.

When it comes to Messi, he is once again assured of some friendly rivalry, with compatriot Sergio Aguero, now with manchester City, also in contention along with club colleagues Fabregas, Eric Abidal, Dani Alves, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Xavi and David Villa on the star-studded shortlist. Aguero is in a group of eight players who earn a place after missing out in 2010; a group of newcomers and returning contenders that also features Abidal, Karim Benzema, Pique, Nani, Neymar, Wayne Rooney and Luis Suarez.

Neymar’s inclusion is particularly noteworthy, and not only because the Santos sensation is still just 19. Since the shortlist system was introduced by FIFA in 2004, only one player based outside of Europe has ever featured, and even the man in question, Boca Juniors’ Juan Roman Riquelme, was on loan at the time from Villarreal.

For Neymar, who snubbed advances from some of Europe’s richest clubs to remain with the South American champions justifies his decision . "There is no need to leave Brazil in order for the world to see us anymore," he said after learning of his nomination. "It is a big happiness to be on a list like this. I have everyone to thank."

Coaches, captains and journalists decide
Neymar hails from a nation that has produced more winners at the FIFA Gala than any other, with five former kings - Romario, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Kaka - leaving Brazil well clear of its closest challengers, Italy and Portugal, both of whom have produced two.

Spain is once again the best represented nation. No other country can match this abundance of contenders, although Germany do have three hopefuls (Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil and Bastian Schweinsteiger), while Argentina, Brazil, France, Portugal and Uruguay each have two. Solitary representatives from Cameroon (Samuel Eto’o), England (Wayne Rooney) and the Netherlands (Wesley Sneijder) help make up the 23.

At club level European champions Barcelona lead the way with eight nominees, including Lionel Messi, winner for the last two years, with close rivals Real Madrid boasting five.

The final decisions will be made by the captains and head coaches of international teams, in addition to international media representatives selected by France Football.

FIFA and France Football will whittle the respective shortlists down to three nominees on December 5 at an event in Paris.

As for which of them comes out on top, that will be decided by the votes of journalists (including The Tripoli Post's representatives, the only ones from Libya) and of the national coaches and captains of FIFA’s 208 member associations. All will be revealed on 9 January 9, 2012, when the winner is announced at the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala in Zurich.

Shortlist for 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or

Eric Abidal (France), Sergio Aguero (Argentina), Karim Benzema (France), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Dani Alves (Brazil), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Cesc Fabregas (Spain), Diego Forlan (Uruguay), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Mueller (Germany),Nani (Portugal), Neymar (Brazil), Mesut Ozil (Germany), Gerard Pique (Spain), Wayne Rooney (England), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), Luis Suarez (Uruguay), David Villa (Spain), Xabi Alonso (Spain), Xavi (Spain).

Shortlist for 2011 FIFA World Coach of the Year

Vicente Del Bosque (Spain/Spain national team), Alex Ferguson (Scotland/Manchester United FC), Rudi Garcia (France/Lille OSC), Pep Guardiola (Spain/FC Barcelona), Juergen Klopp (Germany/Borussia Dortmund), Joachim Loew (Germany/Germany national team), Jose Mourinho (Portugal/Real Madrid C.F.), Oscar Tabarez (Uruguay/Uruguay national team), Andre Villas-Boas (Portugal/FC Porto, Chelsea FC), Arsene Wenger (France/Arsenal FC).