Get Set,Ballon D'Or

It has finally arrived! 

The Ultimate Prize

By - Malcolm Cardoza.

So the time of the year that the football fans have been waiting for has arrived- FIFA unveiling the names of the three Ballon D'Or finalists. The Argentinian Lionel Messi and the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo are the obvious two names in this list. But this time the young Samba Boy from Brazil, Neymar Da Silva Dos Santos Jr. makes the cut.

Lionel Messi has been nominated for the Ballon D'or for the ninth straight time winning it four times whereas Cristiano Ronaldo has been nominated for the award for eight times, winning it thrice. This is the first time that Neymar Jr. has been nominated.

Lionel Messi has led his side to a historic treble-winning season where he won the UEFA Champions League, La Liga and the Copa Del Ray. The four time Ballon D'or winner was also influential in Argentina's Copa America campaign where the La Abliceleste were the runners-up. He scored a total of 65 goals in a total of 68 games (both club and country) and gave 29 assists in the process as well.
Neymar also had a big role in the Blaugranes historic success. He led the UCL goalscoring charts along with his Argentine teammate by scoring 10 goals. 
Meanwhile the Real Madrid starlet has scored 61 goals in 56 appearances that won him his fourth Golden Boot award- the only one to achieve this feat.

The Contenders

The people who participate in the voting phase include captains and head coaches of the men’s national teams and international media representatives selected by the French Football Association.

The award will be given in a ceremony held in Zurich on the 11th of January, 2016.

So will the rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo continue to deepen as the 11th January approaches? Or is there a surprise packed for us by the young sensation Neymar bagging the award for the first time? All three will be gunning for the ultimate individual award. Stay tuned.

Who'll be the Ultimate winner ?