The FIFA Ballon d'Or short list isn't officially announced until the 1st of November, however, Mundo Deportivo somehow managed to get a hold of, and release, 34 names today. If true, one fifth of the players (TEN!) on the list play for one club; the imperious FC Barcelona. Bayern Munich have six players nominated, and Barcelona's rivals Real Madrid have five on the list. Wayne Rooney is the only Englishman named (so far), but this might be because the paper that released the names is Spanish, hence the heavy Spanish focus.
Here's the list (so far);
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Barcelona
- Lionel Messi
- Cesc Fabregas
- Xavi Hernandez
- Andres Iniesta
- Gerard Pique
- Carles Puyol
- David Villa
- Dani Alves
- Alexis Sanchez
- Eric Abidal
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Real Madrid
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Mesut Ozil
- Iker Casillas
- Xabi Alonso
- Sami Khedira
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Bayern Munich
- Philipp Lahm
- Arjen Robben
- Mario Gomez
- Bastien Schweinsteiger
- Thomas Muller
- Franck Ribery
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Inter Milan
- Wesley Sneijder
- Diego Forlan
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Manchester City
- Sergio Aguero
- David Silva
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Manchester United
- Javier Hernandez
- Wayne Rooney
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Arsenal
- Robin van Persie
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Lazio
- Miroslav Klose
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Tottenham Hotspur
- Rafael van der Vaart
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Anzhi
- Samuel Eto'o
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Liverpool
- Luis Suarez
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Udinese
- Antonio Di Natale
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Santos
- Neymar
My immediate thoughts?
- Delighted there's a lack of Englishmen in there, just shows how far behind they are internationally, despite what those crazy FIFA rankings say.
- Thrilled Neymar is included, without a doubt the most exciting player on the ball on the planet (excluding Messi of course).
- Completely convinced Messi will win again; he's just way too good.
- Dark horse? Antonio Di Natale. The only Italian on the list is scoring goals for fun right now.
- Little bit overwhelmed by the amount of players from Barca in the list. Not too sure Abidal, Puyol, Sanchez, Fabregas and Villa should be in there.
- Very confused at how Sami Khedira got his name on the list. Very confused.
There's still 16 more spaces that need to be filled on the list though. Speculation surrounding who should fill the slots is swirling around on Twitter and fans' blogs, with people suggesting names like nobody's business. With that in mind, we'll be no different and join right in! Below are fifteen names that I sort of, wishfully, expect to see and one name that I'm certain won't, but I'd love if he was there:
Andrea Pirlo (Juventus) - He's almost timeless. Had an excellent season with AC Milan then was snapped up by Juve in the Summer for free, where he's started flawlessly.
Mario Balotelli (Manchester City) - Admittedly, he shouldn't really be crowned the "best player in the world", but he's absolutely hilarious and actually starting to play incredibly well of late. This won't be his year, but if he continues to improve like he has been then maybe, just maybe, he'll be in with a shout soon.
Eden Hazard (Lille) - After the season he's just had with Lille, he's got to be on the final list. His wonderful close control and marvellous vision have been a vital catalyst for Lille for the past year and a half and at only 20 he's only going to get better.
Javier Pastore (PSG) - Bought for a huge amount in the Summer from Palermo after a strong season for the Italians, and he's continued playing well in France. Very comfortable on the ball and starting to get a bit of playing time internationally, I think it's only a matter of time before he leaves PSG (they've got money, so what?) for a bigger club.
Mario Gotze (Borussia Dortmund) - Dubbed by many as the "German Messi", Gotze's creativity, ball control and passing were all vital to Dortmund's success last season. At just 19, he's maybe a little too young to win the award ahead of the likes of Messi and Ronaldo, but in a few years he'll be fighting for it.
Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid) - Had an superb season for Porto last term, and caught the attention of the World with his performances in the Europa League. In the air, he's the best striker on the planet and I'd love for anyone to try and disprove that.
Hulk (Porto) - Much like Falcao, he had a phenomenal season last term. However unlike his former teammate, much to a lot of people's surprise, he never left. Extremely talented and should be involved in the final 50.
Juan Mata (Chelsea) - After an amazing Summer captaining Spain's U-21's World Cup winning side, he arrived at Chelsea for what seemed like a subdued amount. Brilliant on the ball and is now offering his new club a completely different style of attack; a more attractive and effective style.
Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United) - Not a huge fan of him, but next to Rio Ferdinand he looks like Franco Baresi and United really miss him when he's not around.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan) - Personally, I don't see much in him (I've only seen him play well once), but plenty of people absolutely adore him. For that reason alone I reckon he'll be involved.
Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund) - Hummels is something of a pioneer in a time where this new libero-esque centerback is all the rage. He's got an exceptional passing ability but his defensive atributes aren't compromised in any way; still makes big challenges and is imperious in the air. Dare I say he's the best defender in this entire post? Yes. Yes I do.
Vincent Kompany (Manchester City) - Amongst a very shaky (JOLEON FUCKING LESCOTT) defence Kompany has been very consistent for City. He's cut out his mistakes (or maybe they're just outshone by Lescott's) and taken up the captaincy after the Tevez-debacle. Safe bet (to be nominated, not win)?
Edinson Cavani (Napoli) - The most complete striker in Europe. Great in the air, brilliant with both feet and gives Napoli such a lethal striking threat. Scored 26 goals last season and already has three in six this season.
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) - Went on an incredible run of eight Bundesliga games without conceding a goal this season and was inspired at Schalke in the last half of last season. With a severe lack of goalkeepers mentioned in here, I'd like to think Neuer will get a nod.
Thiago Silva (AC Milan) - Had a superb 2010/2011 season in Milan in which he and centerback partner Alessandro Nesta conceded just 24 goals in 38 games. Hasn't started the season particularly strongly but should definitely be considered.
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And finally, here's my not-going-to-happen-but-I'd-love-to-see-him-nominated name...
Rivaldo (Sao Paulo) - Currently enjoying a wonderful pre-retirement stint at Sao Paulo in Brazil where he's playing both frequently and strongly. It would be amazing to see the legend nominated for the Ballon d'Or twelve years after he winning his first (and only).
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There we have it. 50 of the best names in football. Obviously there's some missing names; Gareth Bale doesn't make my grade. Luka Modric is undeniably great, but he's made to look much better by the poor, stagnant players that surround him. There's an almost endless list of names that could have been named, but we all know that it's practically pointless in the end as long as Messi is involved. As a sign-off, and a way to back up my claim about Neymar being the most exciting player in the world on the ball, here's six minutes of the man himself earning his nomination for football's most prestigious award.
God I hope he wins it.
Adam.
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