Time to find out which 11 players make up the world's best XI....

The final three nominees for the Puskas Award are Barca's Lionel Messi, Roma defender Alessandro Florenzi and Brazilian Wendell Lira. The winner is...we don't know yet. That will be revealed about 18:36 GMT...

Crash! Bang! Wallop! Watching the goals which just missed out on the Puskas Award - given to the year's best strike - needs Batman-esque subtitles. Fleetwood's David Ball was up there with the likes of Carlos Tevez and Carli Lloyd. Imagine how good the top three are...

Straight into the 'bantz' from James Nesbitt. The Manchester United-supporting presenter begs Cristiano Ronaldo to make a return to Old Trafford, with the Portuguese superstar trotting out a host of footballer cliches in a bid not to offend either United or Madrid supporters. I don't think he ruled it in or out....

Image source, Getty Images

All six nominees for the two main prizes are introduced on to the stage. Carli Lloyd and Cristiano Ronaldo stroll out first, followed by diminutive pair Aya Miyama and Lionel Messi. Last, but not least, come Celia Sasic and Neymar. As one of my colleagues points out - they have definitely been paired up according to height...

Image source, Getty Images

Multi-lingual sports journalist Kate Abdo and Irish actor James Nesbitt are tonight's hosts. Let's hope Nesbitt doesn't get Cold Feet....

Two of Croatia's finest young talents are sat on the stage to kick off the ceremony. Nope, not Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic. Cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, together known as 2CELLOS (of course), provide the musical backdrop to a video showing the talents of the six players up for the Ballon d'Or and Women's World Player of the Year.

Image source, Reuters

Anyone who has enjoyed (?!) watching a Fifa ceremony knows that the world governing body like to string out these things. But not the Ballon d'Or.

The footballing big-wigs will race through six individuals awards, after the revealing of the world's best XI, with the precision of a top-of-the-range Swiss watch. Which is apt considering we're in Zurich...

17:30 (all times in GMT): Ceremony begins

17:42: FIFpro World XI

18:00: World Coach - Women's Football

18:04: World Coach - Men's Football

18:14: Fair Play Award

18:36: Puskas Award

18:46: Women's World Player of the Year

18:53: Ballon d'Or

Image source, Getty Images

Tumbleweeds are blowing up the red carpet now. The Zurich Kongresshaus is packed with billions of pounds of football talent. Game on!

Between Stanley Matthews and Cristiano Ronaldo, the great and the good of the footballing world have claimed the Ballon d'Or trophy.

World Cup winners, European Champions top scorers, Champions League heroes. Dark hair, fair hair, ginger hair.

But what makes the 'perfect' Ballon d'Or winner? We have profiled all previous 59 winners - using statistical data and their physical attributes - to find out.

Go and take a look!

Image source, Getty Images

Tonight, we will see either a Barcelona or Real Madrid player lift that golden ball. But when it was first introduced in 1956, the winner played for... Blackpool. Honestly!

England's Stanley Matthews was the lucky chap to claim the inaugural Ballon d'Or, which initially honoured the European - not world - footballer of the year. It was expanded in 2009 to become a global prize.

Image source, .

Messi. Neymar. Ronaldo. The choice is yours. Click who you think should win in our Ballon d'Or-tastic vote and we'll reveal the results later.

I'm starting to feel like I'm writing a live text commentary for Vogue magazine. But, in the interests of balance, I feel obliged to tell you what the third Ballon d'Or nominee is kitted out in. Neymar, that stylish young pup, knows that the bowler hat is this year's must-have accessory. Very Charlie Chaplin... 

Image source, Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo is not one to mess about with his outfit. The Real Madrid man goes for the James Bond look once again. Will he be the 'Man with the Golden Ball' again? We'll know in about an hour and a half...

Image source, Getty Images

Hurrah! After following a purple crushed velvet number with a polka-dot effort in previous years, Lionel Messi has finally hired a stylist with some taste. The Barca superstar has opted for a traditional black-tie tuxedo tonight. Very smart.

Image source, Getty Images

So the question that everybody wants to know is - who is going to be named the world's best footballer over the past 12 months? That is going to be one of three men - Lionel Messi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Portugal skipper Ronaldo is the current holder, but his arch rival Messi is the overwhelming favourite, external with the bookmakers to put another shiny, gold ball on his mantelpiece. Are they right? Or can Neymar or Ronaldo help thousands beat the bookies?

Don't be shy in telling us, whatever your preferred means of communication is. Tweet using #bbcfootball, post on our Facebook page, or if you still remember those almost archaic things call text messages then send one to 81111.

And if you are stood next to the red carpet, and managed to grab a selfie with a superstar, then we definitely need to see the evidence.

Wow. No words can describe Juventus and France midfielder's Paul Pogba's outfit. Well, not from a shabbily-dressed sports reporter. This is when you need a GQ journalist to offer some expert advice....

Image source, Getty Images