LIONEL MESSI, Cristiano Ronaldo and Antoine Griezmann will be fighting it out for the The Best Fifa Men’s Player Award.
The trio of La Liga stars are the final three in the running for the prize.
A list of 23 names has been trimmed down to the elite treble after voting by captains and coaches of national teams, chosen members of the media and fans voting on the Fifa website.
The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Zurich on January 9.
French forward Griezmann faces an ominous task in trying to topple regular rivals Ronlado and Messi.
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After several impressive seasons with Atletico Madrid, the star announced himself on the world stage in the summer at Euro 2016.
He was top scorer at the tournament and helped fire his country to the final where they suffered an extra time defeat to Portugal.
Griezmann was his club’s top scorer and also came close to Champions League glory – but for the second time in three years his side were defeated by Madrid.
Ronaldo was part of the Real side that inflicted that bitter loss on Atletico – the former Manchester United ace bagging the crucial penalty in the shoot-out.
That triumph was his third Champions League crown and he finished top scorer in the competition with 16 goals.
Then, just six weeks later, he captained Portugal to Euro joy in France. It was the nation’s first major trophy, although he was forced off through injury just 25 minutes into the final.
The 31-year-old striker still managed to produce a memorable display, despite being on the sideline, as he cajoled and roared on his side to glory from the dugout.
And he faces a familiar foe to win the first-ever edition of the new Fifa award in Barcleona star Messi.
The Argentine genius has had yet another outstanding year with the Catalan giants.
He helped fired them to a league and cup double with his 26 goals narrowly edging Barca to the La Liga title.
Additionally, he also captained his country to the final of the Copa America, where they were denied by Chile on penalties.
He became his country’s all-time top goalscorer at the tournament, surpassing Gabriel Batistuta as the South American nation’s undisputed goal king.
The Best Fifa Women’s Player, The Best Fifa Men’s Coach and The Best Fifa Women’s Coach will also be decided at the event in the new year.
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