Neymar and Uruguay teammates Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani are also among 15 nominees for three places in the world lineup.[break]
Contenders from South America include Radamel Falcao and Sergio Aguero.
Manchester United teammates Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney, and Aguero´s Manchester City colleague Mario Balotelli represent the Premier League.
Africa has Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto´o in contention. France´s Karim Benzema and Mario Gomez of Germany complete the list.
Candidates for other positions were previously announced.
The FIFPro World XI, chosen by 50,000 members of the global players´ union, will be announced on Jan. 7 at the FIFA Ballon D´Or gala in Zurich.
Ronaldo and Messi go head-to-head for Ballon d'Or again