Record breaker: Gareth Bale made a £86m move to Real Madrid following a superb season for Tottenham
Wales winger Gareth Bale joins Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo among the leading contenders for FIFA's Ballon d'Or award.

The 23-man shortlist for the prestigious world player of the year award was announced early on Tuesday morning, with the winner to be unveiled on January 13 in Zurich.

Ballon d'Or shortlist

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid/Wales)
Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich/Germany)
Thomas Muller (B Munich/Germany)
Manuel Neuer (B Munich/Germany)
Bastian Schweinsteiger (B Munich/Germany)
Mesut Ozil (Arsenal/Germany)
Robin van Persie (Man United/Netherlands)
Arjen Robben (B Munich/Netherlands)
Edinson Cavani (PSG/Uruguay)
Luis Suarez (Liverpool/Uruguay)
Andres Iniesta (Barcelona/Spain)
Xavi (Barcelona/Spain)
Neymar (Barcelona/Brazil)
Thiago Silva (PSG/Brazil)
Radamel Falcao (Monaco/Colombia)
Andrea Pirlo (Juventus/Italy)
Franck Ribery (B Munich/France)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal)
Eden Hazard (Chelsea/Belgium)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG/Sweden)
Robert Lewandowski (Dortmund/Poland)
Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
Yaya Toure (Manchester City/Ivory Coast).