Spaniards dominate FIFA Ballon d'Or shortlist

[dinho]

No Diego Milito but Gyan in there 

I would give it to either Iniesta or Sneijder if it was up to me.


Spaniards dominate FIFA Ballon d'Or shortlist

http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/europe/story/Spaniards-dominate-Ballon-dOr-shortlist

Seven players from Spain's World Cup-winning team including Barcelona trio Andres Iniesta, David Villa and Xavi Hernandez were nominated Tuesday for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or world player of the year award.

The 23-man list also has three players who starred both at the World Cup and for their club last season: Golden Ball winner Diego Forlan of Uruguay and Europa League winner Atletico Madrid; Wesley Sneijder of runner-up the Netherlands and European champion Inter Milan; and Thomas Mueller of Germany and Bayern Munich, who was top scorer and voted best young player in South Africa.

The past two winners - Lionel Messi of Argentina and Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Real Madrid - are nominated despite disappointing World Cup campaigns.

"Hopefully the trophy will remain in Barcelona," Messi told France Football magazine. "I hope it will be for one of ours."

Six players from Barcelona - Daniel Alves, Iniesta, Messi, Carles Puyol, Xavi and Villa, who joined the Catalan outfit from Valencia - are in the shortlist.

Barcelona retained the Spanish title last season with Messi scoring 34 goals to finish as the league's top scorer. Messi scored 47 goals in all competitions and won the Golden Boot, a prize awarded to Europe's top marksman.

"Of course I would be happy to win the Ballon d'Or for a second straight year," Messi said. "But I think the World Cup will weigh a lot in the balance."

Messi failed to score a single goal at the World Cup in South Africa, where Argentina lost 4-0 to Germany in the quarterfinals.

The 23 players nominated all took part in the World Cup while nine of them played the Champions League final won by Inter over Bayern Munich.

The 2007 winner Kaka is left off the list, which includes of his Brazil teammates Daniel Alves of Barcelona, and Inter Milan pair Julio Cesar and Maicon.

Chelsea's Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba and Arsenal's Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas are among the three English Premier League players nominated while no English, French or Italian players are shortlisted.

The award, formerly known as the FIFA World Player of the Year, is being staged jointly for the first time by FIFA and France Football magazine, which first presented the original Ballon d'Or in 1956.

Votes will be cast by captains and head coaches of men's and women's national teams plus invited journalists.

A top-three shortlist will be announced Dec. 6, and the winner named at a ceremony in Zurich on Jan. 10.

Among the 10 candidates for the women's world player award are Brazil's Marta and Germany's Birgit Prinz, who have combined to win the past seven titles.

Awards for the best men's and women's coach will be made for the first time.

Spain's Vicente del Bosque is competing for the men's honor with nine rivals including Oscar Tabarez of World Cup semifinalist Uruguay and Jose Mourinho, who won the Champions League with Inter Milan before joining Real Madrid.

The women's list contains Maren Meinert, who led Germany to the Women's Under-20 World Cup title in July, and Albertin Montoya of FC Gold Pride, champion of the United States' Women's Professional Soccer league.

At the January gala, FIFA also will announce a World XI team in conjunction with the FIFPro group of players' unions, the Puskas Award for most beautiful goal of the year, a presidential award and a prize for fair play.

FIFA Ballon d'Or men's nominations:

Xabi Alonso (Spain), Daniel Alves (Brazil), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Cesc Fabregas (Spain), Diego Forlan (Uruguay), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Julio Cesar (Brazil), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Maicon (Brazil), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Muller (Germany), Mesut Oezil (Germany), Carles Puyol (Spain), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), David Villa (Spain) and Xavi (Spain).

[palos]

1 - Messi

2 - Forlan

3 - Xavi

Best of all....not a single englishman on de list 

[Deeks]

Is this a surprise??

[Peong]

I doh know how Gyan reach in dat.

[Observer]

Ah feel for Milito. he certainly should be in the mix
Sorry but IMHO, Alonzo and Gyan eh really deserve to be there

[Sando]

What about Carlos Tevez, he should be there.

1. Diego Forlan
2. Andres Iniesta
3. David Villa
4. Arjen Robben
5. Thomas Muller
6. Bastian Schweinsteiger
7. Wesley Sneijder
8. Miroslav Klose
9. Lionel Messi
10. Mesut Oezil

Daniel Alves and Asamoah Gyan, dont belong there.

[Jah Gol]

1 - Messi

2 - Forlan

3 - Xavi

Best of all....not a single englishman on de list 

[Small Magician aka Wazza]

1 - Messi

2 - Forlan

3 - Xavi

Best of all....not a single englishman on de list 

What's all the english hate about?

Rooney should be on that list..34 goal season

Just because Gyan had a better world cup?

Where the hell is Milito?

who really decides this shit boy... so the world cup decides the list then... So Gyan do f**k all in France whole season, fresh as a rose and score a couple and miss a penalty and on the list

Ah love it

Luis Suarez!! If you going for consistency..why he not there? man send his team into a semi final.... If that's how they picking the list he deserves to be there 

jokers

[Jah Gol]

1 - Messi

2 - Forlan

3 - Xavi

Best of all....not a single englishman on de list 

What's all the english hate about?

Rooney should be on that list..34 goal season

Just because Gyan had a better world cup?

Where the hell is Milito?

who really decides this shit boy... so the world cup decides the list then... So Gyan do f**k all in France whole season, fresh as a rose and score a couple and miss a penalty and on the list

Ah love it

Luis Suarez!! If you going for consistency..why he not there? man send his team into a semi final.... If that's how they picking the list he deserves to be there 

jokers

Not hate, is just that they not that good. Your Rooney suggestion might some merit.

[Deeks]

Beauty contests are always subjective.  Rooney inclusion has merit but United, English clubs and England did not win anything. Everything is skewed in Spain's favour, even though Inter won the CL. Spain won the big prize.

[kicker]

1- Messi
2- Casillas
3- Xavi
4- Forlan
5- Maicon
6- Sneijder
7- Drogba
8- Iniesta
9- Villa
10- Schweinsteiger

Lucio should be in the nominees...Best defender in Europe last 2 seasons running. 

[Arazi]

I dunno what going on with alyuh, but the prize should go to Wesley Sneijder..influential in both winning the champion's league and taking his team to the World Cup final..and Small Mag I feel yuh, Rooney have a case...

[triniairman]

What happen to Ashley Cole? He should be on that list along with Rooney

[JDB]

In a World Cup year WC performers will dominate, just as every year th eCL winner does dominate even if they do nothing in league play. This year is a little different becuase Inter do the treble and Holland make th efinal so by rights Sneijder and Robben should be in th ereckoning but it will go to Spain.

My pick would be Xavi. Probably more of a lifetime achievement than just last year but this is probably his last chance for serious consideration. Also Spain was the ultimate team, despite the signature goals Iniesta was not that outstanding and Xavi make that team work. Right now he suffering from 3 straight years of non-stop football. If Cannavaro could get it from a unspectacular Italy team in 2006 Xavi more than desrve it this rounds.

I agree that Lucio should be there, Pique too.

[palos]

Also Spain was the ultimate team, despite the signature goals Iniesta was not that outstanding and Xavi make that team work.

Iniesta was injured for MUCH of last season.  He also missed games for Spain in the WC

Xavi remains an underrated player but Iniesta IMO is THE jewel.  More than Villa, more than Fabergas, more than Xavi, more than anybody.

Barca suffered last season because Iniesta was injured a lot of the time.

[JDB]

Also Spain was the ultimate team, despite the signature goals Iniesta was not that outstanding and Xavi make that team work.

Iniesta was injured for MUCH of last season.  He also missed games for Spain in the WC

Xavi remains an underrated player but Iniesta IMO is THE jewel.  More than Villa, more than Fabergas, more than Xavi, more than anybody.

Barca suffered last season because Iniesta was injured a lot of the time.

Doesn't that make the point that last year was not really his year for the award. Xavi was there right thru and now he suffering. Iniesta younger too his, time will come.

[dinho]

Also Spain was the ultimate team, despite the signature goals Iniesta was not that outstanding and Xavi make that team work.

Iniesta was injured for MUCH of last season.  He also missed games for Spain in the WC

Xavi remains an underrated player but Iniesta IMO is THE jewel.  More than Villa, more than Fabergas, more than Xavi, more than anybody.

Barca suffered last season because Iniesta was injured a lot of the time.

Doesn't that make the point that last year was not really his year for the award. Xavi was there right thru and now he suffering. Iniesta younger too his, time will come.

I kinda forgot about Iniesta's injury worries last year, i just had the image of him slamming home the World Cup winner for Spain in extra time and added that to the fact that I think he is one of the best players in world football to think he should get it.

Yuh right though Xavi deserves a solid mention for being the backbone of Barcelona's league title, leading them to the CL semis and then crowning it off with a first ever World Cup for Spain.

But if we going on pure accomplishments for the season it hadda be Sneijder. Unprecedented treble for Inter Milan then take his unfancied Dutch side all the way to the World Cup finals. Like he said himself in a recent article i read in Champions league, life really couldn't get much better.

[Jah Gol]

Also Spain was the ultimate team, despite the signature goals Iniesta was not that outstanding and Xavi make that team work.

Iniesta was injured for MUCH of last season.  He also missed games for Spain in the WC

Xavi remains an underrated player but Iniesta IMO is THE jewel.  More than Villa, more than Fabergas, more than Xavi, more than anybody.

Barca suffered last season because Iniesta was injured a lot of the time.

He would have been useful against Inter.

[dinho]

... Also Sneijder was top scorer at the world cup, from midfield.

[Jah Gol]

... Also Sneijder was top scorer at the world cup, from midfield.

He deserves it this year.

[fish]

Who d flick does pick them men boi?

[kicker]

... Also Sneijder was top scorer at the world cup, from midfield.

He deserves it this year.

Sneijder is a very good player but if he won world player of the year that would be an all time low in football...

The guy is not that great. 

[Spursy]

I only hope they don't take away this trophy from Sniejder, won everything last season, carry orange on his back. Best player = Wesley Sniejder