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animal magic
12-10-06, 07:39 PM
Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard are on Fifa's 30-man shortlist for World Player of the Year award.
That trio of players are among 12 Premiership players in contention for the prize, with Arsenal's Thierry Henry seen as a front-runner for the award.

Last year's winner was Brazilian Ronaldinho, who also won in 2004.

This year's competition is expected to come down to a contest between striker Henry and Fabio Cannavaro, captain of World Cup winners Italy.

Chelsea are the most represented club with six players on the shortlist: Lampard, Petr Cech of the Czech Republic, Ghana's Michael Essien, Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast, Germany's Michael Ballack and Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko.

Former France midfielder Zinedine Zidane, sent off in the World Cup final in Berlin, is also included on the shortlist.

Zidane retired from soccer after France lost to Italy in the final on 9 July 9, his career ending with a head-butt on defender Marco Materazzi 10 minutes before the end of extra time.

Zidane, Ronaldinho and Inter Milan's Portuguese midfielder Luis Figo are the only men on the shortlist to have previously won the Fifa gong.

Zidane has already claimed the honour three times, as a Juventus player in 1998 and 2000 and with Real Madrid in 2003. Figo won the award in 2001 during his time with Real Madrid.

The head coaches and captains of all national teams will now vote for their best players from the shortlist.

The prize will be awarded in Zurich on 18 December.
CharlieMansonsSquint
12-10-06, 07:43 PM
Lampard?

FLMAO.

I just don't get it.
animal magic
12-10-06, 07:44 PM
i know obviously they have not been watching him lately
TheStig
12-10-06, 10:30 PM
Zidane?

3 good games at the world cup does not a "world player of the year" make.

Don't even get me started on Lampard being included.
Shaggy
12-10-06, 10:37 PM
Too right.

Tough call this year...I'm not sure any one individual has really stood out consistently.
Rosco
12-10-06, 10:46 PM
That list is effectively just big name players in the top 5 leagues.

Some of them have done little or nothing to be on that shortlist.
TheStig
12-10-06, 10:50 PM
That list is effectively just big name players in the top 5 leagues.

Some of them have done little or nothing to be on that shortlist.

:handshake: Couldn't agree more.

Based on reputation and pay cheque more than actual form this year.

EDIT: Fixed something for pedants ;) .
Shaggy
12-10-06, 10:53 PM
That list is effectively just big name players in the top 5 leagues.

Some of them have done little or nothing to be on that shortlist.

Yup, it was exactly the same last year. Some players who'd had serious losses of form, and some players who'd been out for months and months and done nothing on their comebacks (van Nistelrooy springs to mind, but there were far worse candidates).
Neil Young
12-10-06, 10:55 PM
It's a load of crap anyway because it's a team sport. The only things that matter are trophies.
PeachSalsa
13-10-06, 12:48 AM
Neither Lampard or Rooney have played well in a very long time. I don't know how they got on the list.
geeko
13-10-06, 02:46 AM
essian baffles me i must say
friedk
13-10-06, 09:33 AM
Essien and Drogba were both mediocre last season
JRG
13-10-06, 09:41 AM
Lampard! His inclusion completely undermines the honour, useless fat cockney wanker.
The incredible igor
13-10-06, 10:15 AM
Give it to cannavaro. He was the player of the world cup and got robbed by zidane for player of the tournament. Juve's dodgyness might lose it for him though
Mumsafan
13-10-06, 02:23 PM
Lampard?

FLMAO.

I just don't get it.


Me neither
Snigger
13-10-06, 05:38 PM
Cannavaro without question - for one it's about time the art of defending was recognised, for two he's stood out as a class act this last year.
animal magic
13-10-06, 05:38 PM
Cannavaro without question - for one it's about time the art of defending was recognised, for two he's stood out as a class act this last year.


:handshake:
TheStig
13-10-06, 06:01 PM
Cannavaro without question - for one it's about time the art of defending was recognised, for two he's stood out as a class act this last year.

:handshake:
thesilverfoxlfc
14-10-06, 10:21 AM
Cannavaro,Henry or Puyol for me.

Fat Frank what he doing in it!!
Joe Le Toff
15-10-06, 05:26 AM
Lampard?

FLMAO.

I just don't get it.


Ditto, thats a fcuking joke
ste-ellis92
15-10-06, 09:22 PM
Cannavaro or Kaka
wildman
16-10-06, 01:10 AM
me neither, he was absolute crap last year
famasfilms
16-10-06, 04:15 AM
Those of you saying Essien and Drogba were shite, they had great World Cups where they really took their teams by the scruff of the neck and lead by example..