Yesterday FIFA announced the 23-man shortlist for this year's Ballon d'Or award.

Unsurprisingly the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar have been included, but there are bound to be some players that will have been left disappointed by their omission.

Here, Sports Mole has picked out five players that have every reason to feel disgruntled.

At the age of 37, Gianluigi Buffon helped Juventus to win an Italian double and reach the final of the Champions League, which is why people have been shocked by the fact that he was overlooked. Yet, while the experienced goalkeeper's contribution should not be downplayed, it was very much a team effort from the Old Lady.

That is somewhat in contrast to De Gea, who was Man United's best player as they finished fourth to return to the Champions League. The Spaniard was in inspired form to help the Red Devils win numerous matches almost single-handedly, with the home games against Liverpool and Everton particularly standing out.

It has often been said of Pique that once he becomes comfortable, it is followed by spells of over confidence and a lack of concentration. Rumour has it that Pep Guardiola grew frustrated with the centre-back for that very reason towards the end of his tenure in charge at Camp Nou.

However, when the 28-year-old is on top of his game, there are few better defenders in world football. Pique was certainly at his very best as Barcelona won a treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League trophies.

Talking of Guardiola, someone that has benefited greatly from his move to the Allianz Arena is Alaba, who has arguably become one of European football's most complete footballers under the Spaniard's watch. He can play at left-back, centre-back or even in midfield - all to a high standard.

A regular for Bayern, Alaba was also the star man as Austria qualified for Euro 2016. He found the net four times to help ensure that his nation would play at a major tournament that they haven't hosted for the first time since 1998.

The fact that Silva's Man City teammate Yaya Toure, after what has not exactly been a vintage year for the Ivorian, is in the running for the award makes Silva's absence all the more confusing.

The pint-sized Spanish international scored 12 Premier League goals last term and also weighed in with seven assists, compared to Toure's return of 10 goals and one assist. Along with Eden Hazard, Sergio Aguero and Alexis Sanchez, Silva is one of the best players currently operating in England, so to not see his name on the list is odd to say the least.

Only Messi and Ronaldo scored more goals in Europe's top five leagues last season than Lacazette. His 27 Ligue 1 goals were eight more than Zlatan Ibrahimovic - the only French-based representative on the list - managed to score for champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Ultimately, the 24-year-old's goals didn't fire Lyon to any trophies and that may be why he has been left out, but that shouldn't take anything away from his performances and overall contribution. After all, he was still named the Ligue 1 Player of the Year and also included in the Team of the Year.