ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) β Six members of the Germany squad that won the World Cup are included among the nominees for the FIFA Ballon d’Or award, joining Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar on the 23-man short list.
Mario Goetze, who scored the winning goal against Argentina in the World Cup final, was selected along with Germany teammates Toni Kroos, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Mueller, Manuel Neuer, and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Uruguay forward Luis Suarez was left out following his biting ban. Suarez was the top scorer in the English Premier League last season with 31 goals in 33 appearances for Liverpool. But his reputation took a hit when he was banned for four months for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini in the World Cup group phase.
The winner will be announced Jan. 12.
