World football governing body FIFA and France Football this morning released the names of the 23 best footballers in the world being considered for the men’s FIFA Ballon d’Or. Also released is the list of the best 10 coaches in the world in the running for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football awards.

While no African coach makes the FIFA list, Ivorian midfield dynamo Yaya Toure of English Premiership champions Manchester City is in the running for the best player award, according to the list viewed by News Express on FIFA’s official website.

Current Ballon d’Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal is in the running again, so, too, the man he dethroned: Argentine Lionel Messi.

Below (in alphabetical order) are the 23 best male footballers in the world as announced by FIFA:

Gareth Bale (Wales), Karim Benzema (France), Diego Costa (Spain), Thibaut Courtois (Belgium), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Angel Di Maria (Argentina), Mario Goetze (Germany), Eden Hazard (Belgium), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Toni Kroos (Germany), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Javier Mascherano (Argentina), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Mueller (Germany), Manuel Neuer (Germany), Neymar (Brazil), Paul Pogba (France), Sergio Ramos (Spain), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), James Rodriguez (Colombia), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Yaya Toure (Côte d’Ivoire).

The following ten coaches (in alphabetical order, first nationality and then team) are in contention for the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football 2014:

Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Real Madrid CF), Antonio Conte (Italy/Juventus FC/Italy national team), Pep Guardiola (Spain/FC Bayern Munich), Juergen Klinsmann (Germany/ USA national team), Joachim Loew (Germany/Germany national team), Jose Mourinho (Portugal/Chelsea FC), Manuel Pellegrini (Chile/Manchester City FC), Alejandro Sabella (Argentina/Argentina national team), Diego Simeone (Argentina/Atletico Madrid), Louis van Gaal (Netherlands/Netherlands national team/Manchester United FC).

Compiled by the FIFA Football Committee and a group of experts from France Football, the list will be reduced to three players at a later stage. From the final shortlists, journalists, national coaches and captains will vote for the winner of the FIFA Ballon d’Or.

The winners of all of the awards will be revealed at the FIFA Ballon d’Or gala as part of a televised show at the Zurich Kongresshaus on January 12, 2015.

•Photo shows Yaya Toure, the only African player on the list of 2014 world best male footballers.

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