Messi leads Icons names on Ballon d'Or shortlist

Icons were delighted this week to see eleven of our superstars make it onto the 23-man shortlist for this year's prestigious FIFA Ballon d'Or world player of the year award. Leo Messi is the overwhelming favourite after scoring an unheralded 82 goals last season but no one has ever won four consecutive Ballon d'Ors before. Can the Barcelona maverick make history?

In 2010 five Icons made the shortlist. Last year before it was nine. This year we have grown again. Let us know who you would like to see next on the site by getting in touch on Twitter or Facebook.

Which Icon will be crowned World Player of the Year? Here is the complete shortlist:

Sergio Agüero (Argentina)

Xabi Alonso (Spain)

Mario Balotelli (Italy)

Karim Benzema (France)

Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)

Sergio Busquets (Spain)

Iker Casillas (Spain)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

Didier Drogba (Côte d’Ivoire)

Radamel Falcao (Colombia)

Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden)

Andrés Iniesta (Spain)

Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Manuel Neuer (Germany)

Neymar (Brazil)

Mesut Özil (Germany)

Gerard Piqué (Spain)

Andrea Pirlo (Italy)

Sergio Ramos (Spain)

Wayne Rooney (England)

Yaya Touré (Côte d’Ivoire)

Robin van Persie (Netherlands)

Xavi (Spain)

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