A hat-trick of titles have put Barcelona’s Lionel Messi above the rest according to football fans around the world. The Argentina star is poised to win the Ballon d’Or in December after scooping the UEFA Best Forward and Player of the Year earlier in the summer.

But could it be that the current FIFA World Player of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo, edges past Messi to retain his crown come December 21st in Zurich?

Well for the moment, it looks like Real Madrid’s Portuguese play maker will hold on to his title after topping FIFA’s 23-man shortlist for the award.

The former Red Devil player won the FIFA World Club Cup in Japan where he won over the fans with wonderful performances during games. In addition, Ronaldo also won the Carling Cup and the English Premier League with Manchester United.

Ronaldo’s only disappointment came in the Champions League final where Lionel Messi’s Barcelona beat the Red Devils to lift the crown.

In general, Cristiano Ronaldo had a very good season last term despite having to adjust again after undergoing an ankle operation.

Ronaldo emerged as the leading scorer of his former team, Manchester United, for the third time in a row. His goals against Porto FC and Arsenal in the Champions League also helped him to prove his point as the current World Player of the Year.

Though many might argue about the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo tops the FIFA World Player of the Year shortlist ahead of Messi, some may also consider the fact that the English Premier League was arguably much more competitive than the Spanish La Liga and that playing at the highest level each week is obviously more demanding.

Anyway, Cristiano Ronaldo Fan gives you a share of FIFA’s 23-man shortlist for this year’s FIFA World Player of the Year award:

Spain:

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid goalkeeper); Carlos Puyol (Barcelona defender); Andres Iniesta (Barcelona midfielder); Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona midfielder); Fernando Torres (Liverpool striker); David Villa (Valencia striker)

England:

Frank Lampard (Chelsea midfielder); Steven Gerrard (Liverpool midfielder); Wayne Rooney (Manchester United striker); John Terry (Chelsea defender)

Others:

Michael Ballack (Chelsea midfielder); Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus goalkeeper); Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid winger); Diego (Juventus midfielder); Didier Drogba (Chelsea striker); Michael Essien (Chelsea defender); Samuel Eto’o (Inter Milan striker); Thierry Henry (Barcelona striker); Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Barcelona striker); Ricardo Kaka (Real Madrid midfielder); Luis Fabiano (Sevilla striker); Lionel Messi (Barcelona winger); Frank Ribery (Bayern Munich midfielder).