World and European champions Spain dominated the shortlist for the Player of the Year award announced on Tuesday with seven players among the 23 nominees.

Argentina's Lionel Messi [ Images ] will attempt to win the award for the third year in a row, having surprisingly beaten his Barcelona [ Images ] team mates Xavi [ Images ] and Andres Iniesta [ Images ] last year.

The trio were among eight Barcelona players to make the shortlist for this year while Barca's arch-rivals Real Madrid [ Images ] have five.

Frenchman Eric Abidal [ Images ], who had surgery to remove a liver tumour earlier this year before making a triumphant return to lift the Champions League [ Images ] trophy with Barcelona, was also among the nominees.

Daniel Alves [ Images ] and Neymar were the only Brazilians named while Sergio Aguero [ Images ] was the only other Argentine apart from Messi.

Uruguay strikers Luis Suaraz and Diego Forlan [ Images ] were nominated after helping their team win the Copa America in July and Oscar Tabarez was on the 10-man shortlist for the Coach of the Year award.

Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o was the only African player to be included. The list will be whittled down to three on December 5 with the winner being announced in Zurich on Jan. 9.

The award is organised jointly by FIFA [ Images ] and France [ Images ] Football magazine, the two having merged their previously separate awards last year.

Nominees:

Eric Abidal (Barcelona, France)

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City [ Images ], Argentina)

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France)

Iker Casillas [ Images ] (Real Madrid, Spain)

Cristiano Ronaldo [ Images ] (Real Madrid, Portugal)

Daniel Alves (Barcelona, Brazil [ Images ])

Samuel Eto'o (Anzhi Makhachkala, Cameroon)

Cesc Fabregas [ Images ] (Barcelona, Spain)

Diego Forlan (Inter Milan [ Images ], Uruguay)

Andres Iniesta (Barcelona, Spain)

Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina)

Thomas Mueller [ Images ] (Bayern Munich [ Images ], Germany [ Images ])

Nani (Manchester United [ Images ], Portugal)

Neymar (Santos, Brazil)

Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid, Germany)

Gerard Pique [ Images ] (Barcelona, Spain)

Wayne Rooney [ Images ] (Manchester United, England [ Images ])

Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich, Germany)

Wesley Sneijder [ Images ] (Inter Milan, Netherlands)

Luis Suarez (Liverpool, Uruguay)

David Villa [ Images ] (Barcelona, Spain)

Xabi Alonso [ Images ] (Real Madrid, Spain)

Xavi (Barcelona, Spain)