The biggest names in world football gather in Zurich to celebrate a sensational 2014 on the pitch at the fifth FIFA Ballon d’Or ceremony and UK viewers can watch live coverage on Sky Sports 5 and British Eurosport.
A stellar field of contenders for the main award has been narrowed down to the final shortlist of three – Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer – who will be in the running for the prestigious title.
Real Madrid star Ronaldo is eyeing a second successive FIFA crown and will once again go head-to-head with Barcelona star Messi, with both players having been nominated for the final shortlist for the last four years in a row.
The Portuguese midfielder is currently the bookmakers’ favourite to deny the Argentine his fourth global player of the year title, with Messi having claimed the first three Ballon d’Or titles from 2010 to 2012.
Top scorer in La Liga with 31 goals in 30 games, Ronaldo played a huge part in Real Madrid’s tenth Champions League triumph in May, finding the back of the net 17 times in the course of their campaign, a new record for the competition.
Despite the fitness problems that hampered his start to the season, Messi still managed to end the La Liga campaign as its second-highest scorer with 28 goals, though his contribution was not enough to secure Barcelona the title.
The 26-year-old star made up for that disappointment and his club’s exit in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals by guiding Argentina to the final of the World Cup in Brazil, where he scored four goals and collected the Golden Ball prize.
While Messi and Ronaldo are favourites to win, many within football have been making a strong case for the third and final nominee, German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, to be awarded the prize.
The Bayern Munich star enjoyed a trophy-laden season for both club and country in 2014 and will look to add the top footballer award to the World Cup winners medal he secured in Brazil last summer.
Along with the awarding of the Ballon d’Or, FIFA will also acknowledge managers, coaches and teams from the men’s and women’s game in an event viewed as one of the highlights in the footballing calendar.
Who will win the three-way tussle for footballing supremacy? Tune in to see who will win the men’s and women’s football honours, as well as the Puskas Award for the year’s best goal and several more, by watching Sky Sports or British Eurosport on Monday, January 12.
Sky Sports will be covering the FIFA Ballon d’Or in full for the first time in 2015, starting with a half-hour Revista de La Liga special building up to the ceremony in Zurich from 5.00pm on Sky Sports 5.
Scott Minto and guests including Guillem Balague, Gaizka Mendieta and Graham Hunter will assess the three candidates eyeing the World Player of the Year crown, as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer compete for football’s most prestigious individual accolade.
After the preview, Sky Sports 5 will bring you live coverage straight from FIFA Headquarters in Zurich as the world of football gathers to celebrate the achievements of the previous year.
This will be followed at 7.00pm with an hour-long Revista special in which the panel will look back and discuss the key moments from the ceremony, as well as round up the latest action from La Liga.
British Eurosport will also screen live coverage of the 2014 FIFA Ballon d’Or ceremony from Zurich, with the pan-European channel’s coverage starting at 5.15pm.
Fans without access to Sky Sports or British Eurosport can watch live streaming of the entire ceremony, as well as the build-up and red carpet shows, via FIFA’s YouTube channel.
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Monday 12th January
FIFA BALLON D’OR 2014
LIVE: 5.30pm-7.00pm Sky Sports 5 / 5.15pm-7.00pm British Eurosport
Ballon d’Or Revista Special
Preview: 5.00pm-5.30pm Sky Sports 5
Review: 7.00pm-8.00pm Sky Sports 5
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