Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta have been named on a three-man shortlist for this year's Ballon d'Or prize, Fifa has announced.
Messi, 25, has scored 82 goals this calendar year - just three short of the record set by Gerd Mueller in 1972.
Real Madrid's former Manchester United player Ronaldo also makes the list, along with Barcelona's Iniesta.
Pep Guardiola, Vicente del Bosque and Jose Mourinho are shortlisted for coach of the year.
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney, Britain's sole representative on the initial 23-man list, failed to make it through. His Old Trafford team-mate Robin van Persie also missed the cut, as did Manchester City trio Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure.
After 50 goals last season in La Liga - including breaking Barcelona's 60-year-old goal-scoring record with a hat-trick in a 5-3 win over Granada in March - Messi is expected to win Fifa's player of the year award for the fourth successive year.
Ronaldo, who won it in 2008, provides strong competition after playing a key role as Real Madrid edged arch-rivals Barca to the Spanish title.
The Portuguese scored 60 goals in all competitions in the 2011-12 season as Mourinho's side also reached the last four of the Champions League before being knocked out by Bayern Munich.
He already has 19 to his name so far this term.
Iniesta, a team-mate of Messi's at Barcelona, was named as the tournament's best player as Spain won Euro 2012.



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