The nominations for the 2015 Ballon d’Or trophy were released at the start of the month.
It’s no surprise that current holder and three-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo, plus his great rival and four-time winner Lionel Messi are two of the names on the 59-man longlist.
The Real Madrid and Barcelona superstar, who have shared the award since 2008, will be on the three-man shortlist when it is cut next month.
But who will be their closest challenger?
We take a look at five who could be in line to pick up bronze in January.
5. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich and Poland)
With 40 goals already in 2015, Robert Lewansdowki simply had to be on our list. The Poland international’s goals helped Bayern Munich secure another Bundesliga title and his country qualify for next year’s European Championship in France. The 27-year-old has a remarkable 22 goals in 15 appearances to his name this season, including that record five-goal haul in nine minutes against Wolfsburg last month. It seems strange to think that the ex-Borussia Dortmund star probably would’ve signed for Blackburn Rovers in 2008 if it wasn’t for the Volcanic ash cloud.