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Ballon d'Or 2014: Luis Suarez omitted from 23-man shortlist as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale all included

Five players from the Premier League are included but there is not one Englishman included for the second year running

Tuesday 28 October 2014 09:22 GMT

Luis Suarez, Gareth Bale, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (Getty Images)

Barcelona's former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been omitted from Fifa's 23-man list of contenders for the Ballon d'Or award.

The list, which will be whittled down to the one player deemed to be the world's best, has no Englishmen but five Premier League players on it, though there is no place for the division's leading scorer from last season.

Twenty-seven-year-old Suarez scored 31 goals for Liverpool as they narrowly missed out on the English title, but his season ended in controversy after he bit Italy's Giorgio Chiellini while playing for Uruguay at the World Cup.

He was served with a fourth-month ban by Fifa as a consequence - a suspension which ended when he made his Barcelona debut against Real Madrid on Saturday - and but for that he would surely have made the list and been a strong contender.

Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid and Wales)

Appearances: 41

Goals: 21

The world’s most expensive player made his mark in the Copa del Rey final as he out-powered and out-paced the Barcelona defence to score the match winner, but he managed to trump it with the goal that put Real Madrid ahead in the Champions League final.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid and France)

Appearances: 44

Goals: 23

Benzema finally established himself as the number one striker at Real after Gonzalo Higuain left the club, and he repaid the faith shown in him by Carlo Ancelotti by striking up a formidable partnership with Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and Spain)

Appearances: 37

Goals: 22

Costa’s prowess in front of goal was a key factor in securing the La Liga title for Atletico Madrid, and he has continued his tremendous form for Chelsea in shooting them to the top of the Premier League. Now he just needs to get firing on all cylinders for his country.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid, Chelsea and Belgium)

Appearances: 45

Goals: 0

Courtois has finally secured the number one shirt at Chelsea, but his three years with Atletico Madrid certainly proved fruitful with the culmination of a La Liga success meaning he has more league winners’ medals than most of the Chelsea squad.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Portugal)

Appearances: 39

Goals: 45

Fifa might as well award Ronaldo the trophy now. The reigning Ballon D’or holder is the overwhelming favourite to win the trophy come the 12 January, and his current record of more goals than games played in 2014 is also replicated in his entire time spent with Real.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid, Manchester United and Argentina)

Appearances: 38

Goals: 7

Di Maria is included for his fine end to the season with Real Madrid that helped them secure La Decima, with a switch to a central role proving to be a shrewd decision. He also helped Argentina reach the final of the World Cup, but was hampered late by injury. He’s made a good start to his United career and looks to be a real gem of the Premier League.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich and Germany)

Appearances: 43

Goals: 15

He’ll go down in history as the man who won the 2014 World Cup for Germany, with his extra-time winner sparking celebrations across the globe. His form for Bayern Munich though should not be ignored, and he consistently provides reminders of just how talented he is.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Eden Hazard (Chelsea and Belgium)

Appearances: 43

Goals: 11

Hazard has spoken of his ambition to be on the same level as Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and he’s shown signs this season that he is continuing to develop into one of the world’s best. He’ll want to add more goals to his game, but he’s one of the first names on the team-sheet for the Blues.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain and Sweden)

Appearances: 26

Goals: 20

The now veteran striker missed out on going to the World Cup with Sweden and was hampered by injury late last season, but he still cracked 20 goals for club and country and remains one of the most lethal finishers in world football.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Andres Iniesta (Barcelona and Spain)

Appearances: 38

Goals: 2

Iniesta’s trade comes in laying on goals for his team-mates, and while he is part of a Barcelona and Spain side that looks to be slightly exposed, he continues to demonstrate an astonishing quality with the ball at his feet.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Germany),

Appearances: 44

Goals: 5

Kroos emerged as one of Germany’s leading midfielders not so long ago, and he was a crucial cog in their World Cup side that saw Joachim Low choose him as his established holding midfielder. He left Bayern for Real Madrid in the summer, but has been a regular since arriving in Spain.

Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich and Germany)

Appearances: 40

Goals: 3

The World Cup-winning captain brought the curtain down on his international career after reaching the pinnacle during the summer, and that came after yet another Bundesliga win with Bayern Munich. Outstanding both in defence and midfield, there is simply no limits to his football ability.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Javier Mascherano (Barcelona and Argentina)

Appearances: 30

Goals: 0

The Argentinian may have never scored for Barcelona, but he has emerged as the go-to centre-back in the Catalans’ defence having surpassed Gerard Pique. He has a habit for a yellow card, but that often bails Barcelona out when they need it most, and he’s certainly calmed down since his Premier League days.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina)

Appearances: 44

Goals: 35

Messi appears powerless at the moment to stop Cristiano Ronaldo from staking his claim as the best player in the world, but write off the little maestro at your peril. Such are his standards, 35 goals in 44 games appears to be below-par, but don’t be surprised if he proves the doubters wrong once again.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich and Germany)

Appearances: 43

Goals: 20

Muller is often earmarked as the man Germany don’t really need, given their talent in midfield. But he was red-hot at the World Cup and helped himself to five goals in Brazil. He has also shown up Robert Lewandowski since the Pole arrived in Munich, and that’s no easy feat.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich and Germany)

Appearances: 44

Goals: 0

Neuer has been the slightly alternative selection of many to win the Ballon D’or, with former striker Andriy Shevchenko giving his backing to the goalkeeper. Neuer is widely regarded as the best goalkeeper in the world, and the trophy – while surprising – would certainly be deserved.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Neymar (Barcelona and Brazil)

Appearances: 33

Goals: 19

The Brazilian was the poster boy of the World Cup in his homeland, and may have added to his four goals had he not suffered a broken back in the win over Colombia. He has scored more goals than Barcelona team-mate Messi this season, and appears to be hitting his best a year after moving to Spain.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Paul Pogba (Juventus and France)

Appearances: 42

Goals: 5

The one who got away for Manchester United, Pogba has emerged as one of the leading defensive midfielders in the game and helped the Old Lady to their third straight Serie A title this year. He has also become a central figure in the France squad, which is no easy thing to do.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid and Spain)

Appearances: 42

Goals: 8

He may love a red card, but Ramos is still one of the best centre-backs around. He enjoyed a fantastic year for Real which included a run of goals towards the back end of last season, and he also netted the crucial equaliser in the Champions League final victory.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich and Netherlands)

Appearances: 40

Goals: 15

It wasn’t Robben’s greatest year, but he still shone for club and country as Bayern retained their league title and the Netherlands reached the World Cup semi-finals, with a lot of help coming from the outstanding winger.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

James Rodriguez (Monaco, Real Madrid and Colombia),

Appearances: 37

Goals: 16

Rodriguez was the revelation of the summer as he shone for Colombia, with his wonder goal against Uruguay a worthy candidate for the greatest World Cup goal ever scored. He secured the ‘dream’ move to Real where he hasn’t made as big an impact as he would’ve liked, but he has still managed four goals this season.

Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich and Germany)

Appearances: 23

Goals: 5

Schweinsteiger is a somewhat surprising selection despite the obvious plaudits coming with Bayern Munich and Germany. He has played the least games of any player that has made the shortlist, and hasn’t made an appearance since the World Cup final due to injury. His talent remains undoubted, but whether or not he did enough to merit a place on the list remains a keen talking point.

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Ballon D'or 2014 23-man shortlist

Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Cote d'Ivoire)

Appearances: 41

Goals: 15

City’s sole representative on the list had a bitter-sweet year, with the Premier League and League Cup double tainted by the row over the aptly named ‘birthday cake-gate’ and the tragedy of losing his brother Ibrahim Toure during the World Cup after a battle with cancer.

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As it is Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and his old foe and the current Ballon D'or holder Cristiano Ronaldo are sure to battle it out once more.

Ronaldo's stunning form in 2014 puts him down as the clear favourite - he guided Real Madrid to the Champions League title in May and has 21 goals in 14 appearances so far this season.

Real Madrid team-mate and Wales forward Gareth Bale makes the list, with the Premier League representation made up of three players from Chelsea, one from Manchester City and one from Manchester United.

Of that quintet, though, only two were playing in the Premier League last season. Chelsea pair Thibaut Courtois and Diego Costa were at Atletico Madrid, while Manchester United's Angel di Maria was with Ronaldo at Real. Eden Hazard of Chelsea and Manchester City's Yaya Toure are also nominated.

World Cup winners Germany have six players on the list - the most from any nation.

The 23-man list will be whittled down to three on December 1, with the winner announced in Zurich on January 12.

Also named are the nominees for coach of the year, with Manchester City's title-winning manager Manuel Pellegrini and Chelsea's Jose Mourinho amongst the 10.

Ballon d'Or shortlist: Gareth Bale (Wales), Karim Benzema (France), Diego Costa (Spain), Thibaut Courtois (Belgium), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Angel Di Maria (Argentina), Mario Goetze (Germany), Eden Hazard (Belgium), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Toni Kroos (Germany), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Javier Mascherano (Argentina), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Mueller (Germany), Manuel Neuer (Germany), Neymar (Brazil), Paul Pogba (France), Sergio Ramos (Spain), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), James Rodriguez (Colombia), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Yaya Toure (Cote d'Ivoire).

Coach of the year shortlist: Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Real Madrid CF), Antonio Conte (Italy/Juventus FC/Italy national team), Pep Guardiola (Spain/FC Bayern Munich), Juergen Klinsmann (Germany/ USA national team), Joachim Loew (Germany/Germany national team), Jose Mourinho (Portugal/Chelsea FC), Manuel Pellegrini (Chile/Manchester City FC), Alejandro Sabella (Argentina/Argentina national team), Diego Simeone (Argentina/Atletico Madrid), Louis van Gaal (Netherlands/Netherlands national team/Manchester United FC).

PA

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