Ballon d'Or 2015: Live Stream, TV Info, Start Time, Finalists and Prediction

The ceremony for the 2015 Ballon d'Or award takes place with Barcelona's Lionel Messi typically leading the list of finalists. He'll be competing with teammate Neymar and recent two-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo to lift the coveted award in Switzerland.

Here are the viewing and schedule details for this year's ceremony:

Date: Monday, Jan. 11

Time: 5:30 p.m. GMT, 12:30 p.m. ET

TV: Eurosport

Live Stream: FIFA.com

Finalists

It's all about Messi and Ronaldo, Barcelona and Real Madrid. In the last two years, the latter has held sway, but the figures to belong to Barca's pocket-edition talisman this year.

FRANCK FIFE/Getty Images

His performances both last season and this have been nothing short of breathtaking. As good as he's been throughout his career, JJ Bull of the Daily Telegraph believes Messi is actually setting new standards:

"

It's almost disappointing when there are only a couple of Vine worthy moments from a Barcelona match, but to watch Messi play is to enjoy watching a maestro, a freak of nature, play the game like it never has been. In his last game, a 4-1 win over Espanyol, Messi scored two and assisted two. He is relentless.

"

Since Bull wrote those words, Messi bagged himself a hat-trick during Barcelona's 4-0 La Liga win over Granada. It's just one more example of why the Argentina international is the favourite in this year's award sweepstakes.

During an interview with Barca TV and the club's official site, Messi's old teammate Thierry Henry said: "I think it would be madness if he doesn’t win the Ballon d’Or. He deserves it because the team won another treble."

It's hard to argue with the sentiment even if Ronaldo has had this award to himself for two years.

But the Portuguese powerhouse hasn't quite been himself while Real Madrid's managerial situation has stayed in a state of flux. From Carlo Ancelotti to Rafa Benitez and now Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo has been working within a constantly changing framework.

Despite the distractions, Los Blancos' No. 7 has still helped himself to 25 goals in La Liga and UEFA Champions League action, per WhoScored.com.

What Ronaldo lacks is the hardware to back his play this time. Messi is leaning on three trophies he helped win. So is Neymar.

The Brazilian is certainly a future winner of this award. Ben Lyttleton of Sports Illustrated's Planet Futbol believes Neymar's current season is worthy of the prize, "but it was how he stepped up to the plate in October and November with Messi sidelined that took the breath away. It was all about tricks with end product; volleys with goals attached; dribbles with assists; step-overs with penalty-winning fouls."

It's a year too early for the former Santos man. Neymar has also benefited immensely not just from playing alongside Messi, but also from the creative influence of fellow striker Luis Suarez.

The Uruguayan is at least as deserving of a place among the finalists. He's been unfortunate to miss out, in the same way Neymar will be unfortunate to see the award's most frequent recipients beat him in the voting.

But you can count on the Brazilian being a factor for this prize for years to come.

Prediction: Messi wins.

Messi has just done too much in 2015—scored too many goals, provided too many assists and lifted too many trophies—not to win this award. He's inspired a star-studded Barcelona squad that may have even exceeded the quality teams Pep Guardiola put together.

Ronaldo can't compete against that, especially not after such a tumultuous year at club level.

As for Neymar, he'll be kept waiting, but it won't be long before he beats Messi to the prize.