( CNN ) -- Real Madrid 's Cristiano Ronaldo could be forgiven for feeling a sense of deja vu after he was pitted against chief rival Lionel Messi of Barcelona in the race for football 's prestigious Ballon d'Or . The pair will go up against Messi 's Spanish teammate Andres Iniesta after the original shortlist was whittled down from 23 to three . The trophy will be presented in Zurich on January 7 following votes from journalists , national team captains and coaches . Magic Messi moves in on record . Messi , the darling of the football world , has won the top accolade on the previous three occasions and could become the first man to win the prize four times . While Real Madrid star Ronaldo amassed an astonishing 46 goals in La Liga last year , Messi scaled unprecedented heights by finishing with 50 goals in the league alone . The 25-year-old is now chasing Gerd Muller 's all-time record of 85 goals in a calendar year , which the former Bayern Munich and Germany striker set back in 1972 . Messi needs just four more strikes to surpass Muller 's record and rewrite yet another chapter of European football . Cristiano Ronaldo and Daniel Craig - A right to privacy ? But Portugal 's Ronaldo , who won the prize in 2008 , enjoyed an outstanding year , firing Real to the La Liga title under new manager Jose Mourinho . Iniesta , 28 , has wowed fans with his mesmerizing skills while playing alongside the talented Xavi for both Barcelona and Spain . The diminutive midfielder , who has won two European Championship Finals and a World Cup , is one of the most pleasing to watch in the game . Like Messi , he has also won five La Liga titles as well as three Champions League successes . Ronaldo admits perceived arrogance has cost him . Both Iniesta and Ronaldo will start as underdogs in the final voting process , which also has a category for Coach of the Year . Spain 's national manager , Vicente Del Bosque , is one of the final three candidates after leading his country to victory at Euro 2012 . Former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is also nominated , while Real Madrid 's Mourinho , who steered his side to the La Liga title last season , completes the list . Best player - men : Lionel Messi ( Barcelona/Argentina ) , Cristiano Ronaldo ( Real Madrid/Portugal ) , Andres Iniesta ( Barcelona/Spain ) Best player - women : Marta ( Brazil ) , Aby Wambach , Alex Morgan ( both United States of America ) Best men 's coach : Vicente del Bosque ( Spain ) , Pep Guardiola ( ex-Barcelona ) , Jose Mourinho ( Real Madrid ) Best women 's coach : Bruno Bini ( France ) , Norio Sasaki ( Japan ) , Pia Sundhage ( Sweden ) Most beautiful goal of the year : Radamel Falcao ( Atletico Madrid/Colombia ) , Miroslav Stoch ( Fenerbahce/Slovakia ) , Neymar ( Brazil/Santos )
Lionel Messi , Cristiano López and Andres Iniesta up for the 2012 Rose d'Or . Barcelona star players aiming for a fourth straight win . Real Madrid 's manager last won the prize back in 2008 . Del Bosque , Porto and Mourinho up for top honours .