'Messi, Suarez & Neymar should be Ballon d'Or trio' - Bartomeu

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu believes forwards Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar should be 2015's Ballon d'Or top three.

The attacking trio played an integral role in the Catalans' treble triumph last season, scoring a record-breaking 122 goals between them.

Cristiano Ronaldo has won the last two Ballon d'Or awards but Bartomeu does not think the Real Madrid ace should even make the shortlist for 2015.

"Messi, Suarez and Neymar deserve to be the finalists for the Fifa Ballon d'Or," the Blaugrana supremo stated on Wednesday.

Neither Suarez nor Neymar have ever previously made the final three for the Ballon d'Or, but Messi has won the prestigious prize on four previous occasions.

Messi bagged 58 goals in 57 games during the 2014-15 campaign and is currently considered the favourite to lift this year's trophy.

Messi knows FIFA Ballon d'Or is practically his but he needs one final push to get the job done!

Following the disappointment of missing the Copa America final, Leo Messi sought refuge amongst his family in an attempt to re-charge his batteries. Less than a month later, he is back in Barcelona.

Messi knows that the best way to put failure behind him is to set a new objective. Barcelona's season gets under way on 10th August, competing for six titles. They also have a chance to equal the club's best-ever trophy haul in a single year.

Messi knows that the Ballon d'Or is practically his and all he needs is one final push to get the job done. In order to do that, getting into tip-top condition is a priority, which is why he decided to return to pre-season training ahead of schedule. However, it looks unlikely he will equal the type of goalscoring stats he has in the past. In 2012 he scored 90 goals, but he has only notched up 35 so far in 2015.

There is no better proof that 'La Pulga' is still hungry for success than the fact that he has returned to pre-season training ahead of time. He wants to regain some form in order to help the team in the upcoming European Super Cup.

Leo knows that his fitness is lagging behind his teammates who took part in the US tour. If he can get his act together during Luis Enrique's double training sessions, he will have every chance of featuring in the final against Sevilla in Tbilisi.