Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar Nominated for FIFA Player Award

 

Andres Iniesta is one of the more surprising names on the 24-man shortlist for the Best FIFA Men's Player award for 2017.

 

The Barcelona captain has been included despite having been restricted to just 13 starts in La Liga last season, largely due to injury problems.

 

Holder Cristiano Ronaldo, Barca star Lionel Messi and new Paris Saint-Germain signing Neymar are on the list, while Juventus duo Paulo Dybala and Gianluigi Buffon are named after impressing en route to the Champions League final.

 

Tottenham striker Harry Kane is on the list, having finished top of the Premier League goalscoring charts for the second campaign in a row, although Spurs' season ended in disappointment, as they failed to win a trophy.

 

Real Madrid full-backs Dani Carvajal and Marcelo have been included after consistently strong displays in their side's league and Champions League double in 2016-17.

 

Alexis Sanchez, N'Golo Kante, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Eden Hazard are the other nominees who played for Premier League clubs last term. The list was compiled by a panel of former football greats including Diego Maradona, Cafu, Carles Puyol, Edwin van der Sar and Jay Jay Okocha.

 

A final trio of nominees will now be decided by a combination of a public vote, which runs between August 21 and September 7, as well as input from national team captains, coaches, and a panel of media representatives.