FIFA World Player of the Year shortlist

ZURICH, Switzerland: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were among the 23 players on a shortlist announced Wednesday for FIFA's World Player of the Year award.

Ronaldo's goals helped Manchester United win the English Premier League and the Champions League last season, while Messi inspired Argentina to win the Olympic gold medal. Ronaldo finished third in voting last year, while Barcelona's Messi was runner-up to AC Milan's Brazil forward Kaka.

Six members of Spain's European Championship-winning team — Iker Casillas, Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta, Fernando Torres, David Villa and Xavi Hernandez — are also chasing the game's most prized individual award.

Kaka is back in contention, as are three strikers from African nations: Emmanuel Adebayor from Togo, Didier Drogba of the Ivory Coast, and Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o, who was third in 2005.

Ten women were on FIFA's shortlist for top female player, including Brazil's Marta, Birgit Prinz of Germany and American duo Hope Solo and Shannon Boxx.

The candidate lists were drawn up by a team of experts assembled by FIFA, football's world governing body.

Voting is done by head coaches and captains of men's and women's national teams.

Three finalists in each contest will be named in December, before the winners are announced at a gala event on Jan. 12 at the Zurich Opera House.

Nominations for FIFA World Player 2008:
Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo)
Sergio Aguero (Argentina)
Andrei Arshavin (Russia)
Michael Ballack (Germany)
Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)
Iker Casillas (Spain)
Deco (Portugal)
Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)
Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon)
Luca Toni (Italy)
Cesc Fabregas (Spain)
Steven Gerrard (England)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
Andres Iniesta (Spain)
Andy Selva (San Marino)
Kaka (Brazil)
Frank Lampard (England)
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Franck Ribery (France)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
John Terry (England)
Fernando Torres (Spain)
Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands)
David Villa (Spain)
Xavi Hernandez (Spain)

Nominations for FIFA Women's World Player 2008: Nadine Angerer (Germany), Shannon Boxx (United States), Cristiane (Brazil), Daniela (Brazil), Marta (Brazil), Birgit Prinz (Germany), Christine Sinclair (Canada), Kelly Smith (England), Hope Solo (United States), Ingvild Stensland (Norway).

that's not a very short shortlist.

it's got the usual, unthinking, same old same old feel to it. at least 10 of them are there based on name and long-term achievements alone - not for the past yrs performances (e.g. Buffon, Terry, Gerrard, Eto'o, Deco, Ballack, Fabregas...)



just noticed: Andy Selva (San Marino)

a joke?

4 Chelsea players

1 Man Utd player

debaser wrote:it's got the usual, unthinking, same old same old feel to it. at least 10 of them are there based on name and long-term achievements alone - not for the past yrs performances (e.g. Buffon, Terry, Gerrard, Eto'o, Deco, Ballack, Fabregas...)



just noticed: Andy Selva (San Marino)

a joke?

Maybe he's disabled and plays one legged?

Batman wrote:5 Chelsea players

1 Man Utd player

debaser wrote:it's got the usual, unthinking, same old same old feel to it. at least 10 of them are there based on name and long-term achievements alone - not for the past yrs performances (e.g. Buffon, Terry, Gerrard, Eto'o, Deco, Ballack, Fabregas...)



just noticed: Andy Selva (San Marino)

a joke?

Maybe its for lifetime achievement

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Selva

No, I didn't edit the poll to stick Andy Selva in...

Why did you cram all the ladies down in the bottom there, without making a proper list, like you did for the men?

Predictions. I reckon top 3 will be Casillas, Ronaldo, Messi. Maybe Casillas to win as:
it's never gone to a keeper before (so maybe they will try to rectify)
it's quite likely they'll want to reward Spain (and he was maybe the figurehead, a la Cannavaro)
there's no real obvious winner (Ronaldo, arguably, but then again, he plays in England)

Torres also could sneak into the top 3, but won't win it.

Those american ladies have ridiculous names..

debaser wrote:that's not a very short shortlist.

It's also ridiculous. Three Africans and not one Egyptian and six Spaniards but not Marcos Senna. Ridiculous. How on earth is Iniesta ahead of Senna. Many thought Senna unlucky not to be Player of Tournament in Euros and according this he is not in best six Spaniards. Villarreal had good season - second in La Liga. He was important in that. Absolutely outragous that he isn't on list. Aboutreika at least should be on the list ahead of all three Africans on it.

Yeah, of the 3 Africans, Adebayor is the only one with a reasonable case. Drogba's been injured most of the year ffs, and what has Eto'o done? And clearly they just ignore the Cup of Nations.

Senna is a bad omission, agreed. Iniesta's only ahead of him 'cause he plays for Barca

Messi's Views on the Ballon d'Or -

Messi and Aguero have both been talked up as the new Maradona with the pair in the running for the Ballon d’Or—the former European footballer of the year award.

“I don’t know what I would give to be the first Argentinan to win it,” Messi said before suggesting who should win.

“Aguero. But Torres and Xavi deserve it too. From Cristiano Ronaldo to Kaka, from Ibrahimovic to Rooney, everyone is in the running. (Barcelona team mate Andres) Iniesta is missing and I don’t understand why. He is a genius.”

Messi’s respect for Spain striker Fernando Torres extends to his club side Liverpool, who the Argentine thinks are Barcelona’s big rivals in the Champions League this term.

“If I had to choose it would be Liverpool,” he said. “They have Torres, Gerrard, Kuyt, Mascherano and they are difficult to face. Maybe there are teams that play better but I see them in the final in Rome.”

Ade Alves wrote:Messi's Views on the Ballon d'Or -

Messi and Aguero have both been talked up as the new Maradona with the pair in the running for the Ballon d’Or—the former European footballer of the year award.

“I don’t know what I would give to be the first Argentinan to win it,” Messi said before suggesting who should win.

“Aguero. But Torres and Xavi deserve it too. From Cristiano Ronaldo to Kaka, from Ibrahimovic to Rooney, everyone is in the running. (Barcelona team mate Andres) Iniesta is missing and I don’t understand why. He is a genius.”

Messi’s respect for Spain striker Fernando Torres extends to his club side Liverpool, who the Argentine thinks are Barcelona’s big rivals in the Champions League this term.

“If I had to choose it would be Liverpool,” he said. “They have Torres, Gerrard, Kuyt, Mascherano and they are difficult to face. Maybe there are teams that play better but I see them in the final in Rome.”

so he's not worried about the 20 million pounds man, robbie keane

anyway the list is pointless

cronaldo is going to win it just for the number of goals he scored. There haven't been any particularly amazing performces such as dinho of a few years ago. And for all the talk of certain individual players for spain in the euros, it was actually a team performance all the way through that won it.

Numbers 2 and 3 are probably going to be spanish players, but there isn't a whole lot of difference between 2-10.

on behalf of all man red fans I'd like to point this out: No ferdinand

And Rio has been our best player 2 years running at least.

DS wrote:And Rio has been our best player 2 years running at least.

Can't argue with that

DS wrote:And Rio has been our best player 2 years running at least.

Ronaldo?

BoBo Vieri 32 wrote:

DS wrote:And Rio has been our best player 2 years running at least.

Ronaldo?

Of course Ronaldo

BoBo Vieri 32 wrote:

DS wrote:And Rio has been our best player 2 years running at least.

Ronaldo?

Rio Ferdinand ask anyone who watches us play regularly , best player for two years , maybe Ronaldo was the better player when he got 23 goals and 13-15 assists(dont remember correctly) as he won the matches on his own but on the average Rio has been better.
Ronaldo is a close 2nd.

DS wrote:

BoBo Vieri 32 wrote:

DS wrote:And Rio has been our best player 2 years running at least.

Ronaldo?

Rio Ferdinand ask anyone who watches us play regularly , best player for two years , maybe Ronaldo was the better player when he got 23 goals and 13-15 assists(dont remember correctly) as he won the matches on his own but on the average Rio has been better.
Ronaldo is a close 2nd.

Yeah Ronaldo....