Five Bundesliga stars on 2016 Ballon d'Or shortlist
FC Bayern München quartet Robert Lewandowski, Arturo Vidal, Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller have been named on the shortlist for the annual award, with the Bavarian contingent joined by Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Awarded since 1956, the Ballon d'Or is voted for based upon the players' performances over the last calendar year. bundesliga.com takes a closer look at the Germany-based stand-outs in contention…
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang(Borussia Dortmund)
The only non-Bayern player from Germany in the running, Dortmund flying machine Aubameyang makes the shortlist for good reason. Known for his electrifying speed, the Gabon striker has added a killer instinct to his repertoire in recent seasons, and ended the 2015/16 campaign with 25 Bundesliga goals - and 42 in all competitions for club and country - as well as the African Footballer of the Year gong.
Watch: Aubameyang's second Bundesliga hat-trick, against Augsburg:
Want more Bundesliga Action?
Robert Lewandowski(FC Bayern München)
Aubameyang would have taken the Törjagerkanone as the Bundesliga's top scorer if not for the irrepressible form of the Poland captain. Lewandowski scored 30 Bundesliga goals as Bayern roared to an unprecedented fourth consecutive top-flight title. His record nine-minute, five-goal salvo against VfL Wolfsburg will live long in the memory, with Lewandowski earning no fewer than four Guinness World Records in the 5-1 win last September.
Watch: Lewandowski's stunning five goals in nine minutes against Wolfsburg:
Thomas Müller(Bayern)
The third-top scorer in the Bundesliga last term, Müller added five assists to his 20 goals - not bad for a player who rarely leads the line for his club, preferring instead to drift in from the right-hand side. He also scored eight goals in 12 UEFA Champions league matches becoming the youngest player to win 50 games in the competition - beating the record of FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi by some 14 months - in the process.
Watch: All 20 of Müller's Bundesliga goals from 2015/16:
Manuel Neuer(Bayern)
With national team captains eligible to vote until this season, Bayern's custodian Neuer could technically have backed himself for the award in recent years. Looking at the Germany talisman's numbers from last term, such a move would seem justified. Neuer kept a clean sheet in 21 of his 34 Bundesliga games, only conceding a goal every 180 minutes on average. The game's pre-eminent sweeper-keeper, Neuer was third in the voting for the 2014 award.
Watch: Some of Neuer's best saves from Bayern's Klassiker clashes with Dortmund:
Arturo Vidal(Bayern)
Bayern's Bundesliga triumph last season was the Chilean midfielder's fifth consecutive league title, after previous wins with Juventus in Italy. A box-to-box midfielder with few equals, Vidal enjoyed four goals and five assists in the German top flight last term, before keeping Messi and Argentina quiet in the United States over the summer to steer Chile to their second Copa America title in as many years.
Watch: Vidal's star is shining bright at Bayern:
Bundesliga-based Ballon d'Or winners:
1970: Gerd Müller (Bayern)
1972: Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern)
1976: Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern)
1977: Allan Simonsen (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
1978: Kevin Keegan (Hamburger SV)
1979: Kevin Keegan (Hamburg)
1980: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern)
1981: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern)
1996: Matthias Sammer (Dortmund)
Click here for more news on FC Bayern München!
Click here for more news on Borussia Dortmund!
Lewy and Neuer are also on the Best FIFA Men's Player shortlist. Head here to vote for them!