The Soccer Weblog

The 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year shortlist has been released. In alphabetical order, it looks like this:

Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Fabio Cannavaro (Italy), Petr Cech (Czech Republic), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Deco (Portugal), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Michael Essien (Ghana), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Gennaro Gattuso (Italy), Steven Gerrard (England), Thierry Henry (France), Juninho (Brazil), Kaka (Brazil), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Frank Lampard (England), Rafael Marquez (Mexico), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Alessandro Nesta (Italy), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Franck Ribery (France), Juan Roman Riquelme (Argentina), Ronaldinho (Brazil), Wayne Rooney (England), John Terry (England), Carlos Tevez (Argentina), Lilian Thuram (France), Fernando Torres (Spain), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands), Patrick Vieira (France)

Once again, I've been overlooked. I don't mind. I'm just guessing the member's of the FIFA technical committees who draw up the list didn't catch my Sunday league games this year. Or the year before. That doesn't explain why players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cesc Fabregas are missing, though I guess they can't nominate everyone.

Still feels a little like the committee members have just picked their favourite players based on reputation as opposed to performance though. Has Ronaldinho really had such a good 12 months? Has Cannavaro? And once more all the nominees are from European clubs. The only exception is Juan Roman Riquelme, but even though he played for Boca last season he's still contracted to Villarreal.

The coaches and captains of every national team will vote (wonder who John Terry will vote for? John Terry? Is he allowed to do that?) and the winner announced at FIFA's World Player Gala in Zurich on December 17th.

Kaka has to be one of the favourites after winning the FIFPRO Player of the Year as voted for by his fellow pros not long ago. But Cristiano Ronaldo's had a great year, as has Didier Drogba, Leo Messi and Frank Ribery, who's apparently eliciting gasps from German audiences with his Bundesliga displays.

Whoever wins, I hope it's someone who doesn't play for Real Madrid, Barcelona or Juventus. A player from one of those teams has won the award every year since 1996.

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