Manuel Neuer, Cristiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi Fighting For Ballon d'Or Football Award

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are often trying to not only out score their opponents, but one another, and occasionally goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is standing in their way, but now these three star footballers are fighting it out once again. The three superstars make up a three-man shortlist for FIFA's famous Ballon d'Or award, which has been won by the attacking pair on many occasions, but not yet by the Bayern Munich goalkeeper. The list previously stood at 23, now down to 3, and will be reduced to 1 on Jan. 12. Who deserves to win the prestigious award, and could a goalkeeper do the unthinkable and win the Ballon d'Or outright?

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FIFA announced the 3-man shortlist today, and that the other twenty players were dropped, much to their disappointment. Ronaldo won the award in 2013, and he's hoping to do so again, but Messi has history, winning the award before for four consecutive years. Ronaldo is the early favorite, but Messi's recent form might just add some concern that many people will be influenced unfairly, considering it's based on last season, not this season.

Strangely, Messi's teammate Gerard Pique suggested he's pulling for his one-time teammate Ronaldo. He explained, "I like Cristiano Ronaldo. Many times conclusions are drawn based on specific actions without actually getting to know him. He has changed in recent years, I know him from United and he took to me well. He helped me a lot in Manchester. Cristiano is a perfect machine, a hard worker who always wants to improve. He is very demanding of himself, something that he showed at United. The most surprising thing is that Messi won four Ballons d'Or in a row and he kept going on there, with the strength to beat him."

Which talented star deserves this award, and should a goalkeeper win an award known for attacking play?