Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will once again battle for the title of the world’s best footballer after their names were included on a 24-man shortlist for The Best FIFA Men’s Player award.

The pair have dominated the global award in its varied forms for a decade, and will be favourites to collect yet another accolade.

Ronaldo enjoyed another remarkable season in which he helped Real Madrid to a La Liga and Champions League double while Messi topped the Spanish goal-scoring charts for Barcelona, which won the Copa Del Rey, and was also the second leading scorer in the Champions League despite the Catalans not making it past the quarter-finals.

Also making the shortlist were the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Neymar, Eden Hazard, Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal, Harry Kane, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, N’Golo Kante and Alexis Sanchez.

Carli Lloyd, the US World Cup winner and two-time Olympic champion, was the inaugural winner and again makes the list of 10 in contention to be ‘Best FIFA’ woman player.

Zinedine Zidane, who guided Real Madrid’s landmark season, with seven of their players in the men’s shortlist, is recognised in his nomination as best men’s coach.

The awards are a revival of the old FIFA World Player of the Year, which had been combined with France Football magazine’s Ballon d’Or for six years before the collaboration ended last year. Ronaldo won the inaugural ‘best’ trophy.

They are voted for by national coaches and captains, selected media and fans, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in London on October 23.