Ronaldo and Messi headline Ballon d'Or shortlist

Real Madrid's striker Cristiano Ronaldo poses with his fourth Golden Boot trophy before their Spanish First Division soccer match against Levante at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, October 17, 2015. REUTERS/Juan Medina

(Reuters) - Real Madrid's blockbuster 'BBC' forward line and Barcelona's devastating 'MSN' trio are set to go head-to-head for the 2015 Ballon d'Or award after all six were named on the 23-man shortlist by FIFA on Tuesday.

Real's Cristiano Ronaldo, who set a club scoring record with his 324th goal on Saturday, will be going in search of his third consecutive World Player of the Year award.