FIFA World Player Awards Monopolised by La Liga

La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are providing all five nominations for the FIFA World Player of the Year Awards.

Spanish midfielders Andres Iniesta and Xavi along with Argentine playmaker Lionel Messi are nominated from the powerful Barcelona midfield, with the Argentinian the strong favourite for the award to be handed out on December 21. Were he to do so, he would become the first Argentinian ever to win the award. Barcelona won an incredible treble of  the UEFA Champions League, La Liga and Spain’s Copa Real last season.

Real Madrid are represented by Brazilian Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, the former Manchester United Portuguese international who won the award last year when playing in the EPL. Last week, the Argentine beat Ronaldo to the European Footballer of the Year award by 473 points to 233.

The five  were selected from an initial 23-strong shortlist with voting restricted to the coaches and captains of international sides.

FIFA’s World Player of the Year Past Winners

2008 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) Man United
2007 Kaka (Brazil) – AC Milan
2006 Fabio Cannavaro (Italy) – Real Madrid
2005 Ronaldinho (Brazil) – Barcelona
2004 Ronaldinho (Brazil) – Barcelona
2003 Zinedine Zidane (France) – Real Madrid
2002 Ronaldo (Brazil) – Real Madrid
2001 Luis Figo (Portugal) – Real Madrid
2000 Zinedine Zidane (France) – Juventus
1999 Rivaldo (Brazil) – Barcelona
1998 Zinedine Zidane (France) – Juventus
1997 Ronaldo (Brazil) – Inter Milan
1996 Ronaldo (Brazil) – Barcelona
1995 George Weah (Liberia) – AC Milan
1994 Romario (Brazil) – Barcelona
1993 Roberto Baggio (Italy) – Juventus
1992 Marco van Basten (Netherlands) – AC Milan
1991 Lothar Matthaeus (Germany) – Inter Milan

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