Football Talk - Ballon d'Or nominees unveiled - 19/10/09
Reigning World and European and World player of the year, Cristiano Ronaldo, heads a list of 30 nominees for this year's Ballon d'Or. The Real Madrid winger won the prestigious award last year and will be one of the favourites for this year's title after an impressive start to his career at the Bernabeu.
The Portuguese attacker has scored nine goals in seven games since joining the Spanish outfit for a world record £80 million from Manchester United in the summer. European champions Spain are the best represented nation with six players listed, while the Primera Liga boasts the most players from a single league with 12. The Premier League is next best with 10 players while Serie A has just four.
Champions League and La Liga winners Barcelona are well represented with six players nominated: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry, Andres Iniesta, Yaya Toure, Xavi and Lionel Messi, who is tipped by bookmakers to scoop this year's major individual honours. The Ballon d'Or is an award handed out to the world footballer of the year. It is voted for by journalists and organised by France Football magazine. The winner will be announced on December 1.
Full list:
Andrey Arshavin(Arsenal),
Karim Benzema(Real Madrid),
Iker Casillas(Real Madrid),
Cristiano Ronaldo(Real Madrid),
Diego(Juventus),
Didier Drogba(Chelsea),
Edin Dzeko (Wolfsburg),
Samuel Eto'o (Inter),
Cesc Fabregas(Arsenal),
Fernando Torres(Liverpool),
Diego Forlan(Atletico Madrid),
Steven Gerrard(Liverpool),
Ryan Giggs(Manchester United),
Yoann Gourcuff(Bordeaux),
Thierry Henry(Barcelona),
Zlatan Ibrahimovic(Barcelona),
Andres Iniesta(Barcelona),
Julio Cesar(Inter),
Kaka(Real Madrid),
Frank Lampard (Chelsea),
Maicon(Inter),
Lionel Messi (Barcelona),
Luis Fabiano (Seville),
Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich),
Wayne Rooney(Manchester United),
John Terry(Chelsea),
Nemanja Vidic(Manchester United),
David Villa(Valencia),
Xavi(Barcelona),
Yaya Toure(Barcelona)
Who do you think should win the Ballon d'Or?
