A further two Germany internationals will be hoping that they will make it into FIFA’s Team of the Year. Thomas Müller (Bayern München) and Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund) are amongst 15 players shortlisted for the role, alongside Bayern München’s Robert Lewandowski and Arjen Robben.

Alongside Müller, seven other World Cup winners have been shortlisted for selection: Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Jerome Boateng and Bastian Schweinsteiger (All FC Bayern München), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) and Mesut Özil (Arsenal). Neuer has four rivals for the role, whilst 20 defenders and 15 midfielders have been nominated.

The Team of the Year will be chosen by players from around the world. According to FIFA, there will be approximately ten thousand players voting. They will choose one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders and three strikers. The finalists have been chosen by international player association FIFPro, as well as FIFA. The eleven winners will be announced on 12th January 2015 in Zurich. Neuer and Lahm were both included in the Team of the Year for 2013.