Just three Premier League names on Ballon d’Or shortlist

By: Rob | October 26th, 2010

Ronaldo d'or So the annual Ballon d’Or shortlist is out – it features no English players whatsoever, and only three from the Premier League. I know its a World Cup year, which always skews these results a little, but the complete lack of Premier League players in the mix is a bit surprising.

Especially as two of the players – Cesc Fabregas and Asamoah Gyan earned their place on the list in South Africa in all likelyhood. Didier Drogba is the third Prem based player to make the shortlist.

Spain naturally dominates – especially in a year where it won the World Cup as well as having two teams intent on buying absolutely everyone – while Italy, spurred on by Inter’s treble last season can boast more players than the Premier League. I’m quite a fan of Italian football, but on paper that comes as a mild surprise.

It probably is justified mind – no doubt Inter deserve having players on the shortlist after their magnificent achievements last time around – but its another symbol of where the Premier League is in comparison to its rivals.

Certainly, considering his form from the back end of last season you might expect to see Wayne Rooney in the mix, but his catastrophic form since the summer has clearly counted against him.

It is tough to reel off a list of names that should be making the list from the Premier League as well, with our other big name star, Fernando Torres out of form for long spells as well. The English contingent of course badly underperformed in the World Cup, and with English sides having a slightly off year in the Champions League, there was nothing else to fall back on.

Curiously, this year there is a Manager of the Year award, where the Premier League can also boast three contenders – Carlo, Sir Alex, and Arsene Wenger. Full list below, but Wenger is a curious one really. I have a hell of alot of love for Wenger, but he hasn’t really won anything or anything in the last 12 months.

Full list of nominees.

World Player of the Year nominees: Xabi Alonso (Spain), Daniel Alves (Brazil), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Cesc Fábregas (Spain), Diego Forlán (Uruguay), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Júlio César (Brazil), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Maicon (Brazil), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Müller (Germany), Mesut Ozil (Germany), Carles Puyol (Spain), Arjen Robben (Holland), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Holland), David Villa (Spain), Xavi (Spain).

World Manager of the Year nominees: Carlo Ancelotti (Chelsea), Vicente del Bosque (Spain), Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United), Pep Guardiola (Barcelona), Joachim Löw (Germany), José Mourinho (Internazionale/Real Madrid), Oscar Tabarez (Uruguay), Louis van Gaal (Bayern Munich), Bert van Marwijk (Holland), Arsène Wenger (Arsenal).