Rooney in running for FIFA award

October 30, 2009

Wayne Rooney

MANCHESTER United striker Wayne Rooney has been shortlisted for the FIFA World Player of the Year award.

Rooney has spearheaded the Reds attack admirably since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid and also impressed for Fabio Capello's resurgent England side.

Portugal's Ronaldo, unsurprisingly, heads a familiar cast of stars voting commences ahead of the annual gala in Zurich on December 21. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is another strong candidate.

Spain provide six nominees - goalkeeper Iker Casillas, defender Carles Puyol, midfielders Andres Iniesta and Xavi and strikers Fernando Torres and David Villa.

England, with four - Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and John Terry - are next, while Brazil (three) and France (two) are the only other countries with more than one player nominated.

Brazilian Marta, who has won the women’s award for the last three years, is once again included on a shortlist of 10 names.

FIFA World Player 2009 shortlist:

Michael Ballack (Germany), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Diego (Brazil), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Michael Essien (Ghana), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Steven Gerrard (England), Thierry Henry (France), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Kaka (Brazil), Frank Lampard (England), Luis Fabiano (Brazil), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Carles Puyol (Spain), Franck Ribery (France), Wayne Rooney (England), John Terry (England), Fernando Torres (Spain), David Villa (Spain), Xavi (Spain).

FIFA Women’s World Player 2009 shortlist:
Nadine Angerer (Germany), Sonia Bompastor (France), Cristiane (Brazil), Inka Grings (Germany), Mana Iwabuchi (Japan), Simone Laudehr (Germany), Marta (Brazil), Birgit Prinz (Germany), Kelly Smith (England), Abby Wambach (USA).

Who should win? Have your say.

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Solskjaer20Legend, Epsomville (30/10/2009 at 10:22)

Ballack, again....why?? Also what exactly did Kaka do last season?

It seems to be if you're a famous name you'll be made a shoe in no matter of what kind of performance you put in throughout the previous season.

danny, WILMSLOW (30/10/2009 at 10:22)

Its very hard for a true Englishman to win the award no matter how good he is.

Private Fraser, Warmington-On-Sea (30/10/2009 at 10:53)

I didn't realise FIFA organised the World Diving Awards. Should be a shoo-in now that the Winkers injured.

tooth&claw, manchester (30/10/2009 at 11:12)

Solksjear, Ballack is a sop for the German speaking associations. There's always a German on the list. It shows how far German football has fallen that the best they can muster is the ridiculous charletan, Ballack. I don't think there's ever been a worse signing in British football.

Lee , Heywood, Heywood (30/10/2009 at 12:09)

Solskjaer 20, you could put the same point accross for Rooney. He is on the list every year but as yet he isnt close to winning it. They should just announce the top 3 really.

Bert's Neck Brace, somerset (30/10/2009 at 12:21)

He's a good player but not one of the World's best.

There's a few on that list that shouldn't be mentioned: Ballack, Essien, Cassillas, Buffon etc.

They should just nominate the top 3 and leave the rest out of it.

We all know who will be in the top 3 and these Rooney and the rest won't be one of them!

Devil in the Shire (30/10/2009 at 12:28)

Agree with some of comments here, can hardly remember one single thing Ballack has done since moving to Chelsea and he is a shadow of the player that won so many honours with Germany and Bayern Leverkusen / Munich. There were alot of questions raised about his reasons for leaving Bayern, namely that his motivation had gone and he was looking for one last final pay check - would have to admit that this seems to be the case - much like Ronaldinho, who thankfully is not present. As some of the other posters have said, the token German candidate living off past success! Also, how the hell can Buffon make the last, he's barely played from injury since the 2007 season and despite making a good start to the 09 season, he only returned at the end of the 08 season and was that poor that he was booed by fans and rumour was he was going to be sold to the highest bidder by Juve during the summer. I think this justifies alot of calls that the FIFA World Player Award should rightly be assessed and a decision made at the end of the season, not 3 months into it. Apart from these two think the list is pretty good, though you might also question whether Essien or Henry's inclusion is really merited as well, given Essien's absence from Chelsea from injury (though do actually think Essien is a terrific player) and suppose Henry is there on the basis that he won CL and Domestic titles with Barca - bit of FIFA back slapping for the old boys brigade. Quite telling though that Rooney is the only United Player on it - but one can only hope that this has changed by next year!

LizzC (30/10/2009 at 12:53)

I say Rooney. The question with most of the rest is "what have you done lately?" Rooney has (as noted above) stepped admirably in to fill the gap left by Ronaldo's leave-taking. Better yet, he's done it without the pouting and temper tantrums that characterized Ronaldo.

steve wilson (30/10/2009 at 14:45)

this is a complete farce;I mean how could any list not include Lescott LOL?

mick the red fireman, middleton (30/10/2009 at 15:04)

I just checked they also have a female list Kelly Smith is on it plus Doris Vassell wasnt that the player on the massives books last season?.

mike , denver (31/10/2009 at 01:27)

What about Berbatov and Carrick?

Red Culture (31/10/2009 at 09:57)

Rooney will be happy his name is being mentioned with other great players but we all know he is not a world class player he won't beat Ronaldo, Messi, Xavi, Eto, Iniesta, Henry et al. Impossible! United have a rotten team since Ronaldo left.

Scholesy passed me the ball..., England (02/11/2009 at 14:59)

Messi might give Ronaldo a run for his money. But no one else is in contention.

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