Messi, Ronaldo, Iniesta Shortlisted for Ballon d'Or

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta were on Thursday shortlisted for this year's Ballon d'Or, football's world governing body FIFA and sponsors France Football magazine said.

Barcelona forward Messi, 25, has already won the title three times and the Argentine is again favorite to win the prize, which will be presented in Zurich on January 7 after votes from journalists, national team captains and coaches.

If he wins, he would become the first player to win the award four times, having already joined French legend and current UEFA president Michel Platini as the only players to win three straight titles.

Dutch stars Johan Cruyff and Marco Van Basten have also won three accolades.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter unveiled the shortlist at a news conference in Sao Paulo.

He also revealed that Spain's Vicente Del Bosque, Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho and former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola were on the shortlist for the title of best coach.