FIFA World Player of the Year Shortlist 2009 (With Some Bonus Ballon d’Or Comparison)
FIFA has announced its shortlist of 23 players for the Men’s World Player of the Year award, and 10 players for the Women’s World Player of the Year Award. National team captains and coaches will now vote (but not for players from their own country) and this final five will be revealed in early December, with the winners announced at FIFA’s World Player bash in Zurich on December 21st.
The shortlists are below, along with some FIFA WPotY shortlist vs Ballon d’Or shortlist comparison. Just for fun.
Here is the FIFA Men’s World Player of the Year 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)
The Ballon d’Or shortlist is 30 players long, so at least seven players were going to miss out on double-recognition. There were actually ten players from the Ballon d’Or list that didn’t make the FIFA WPotY list. They are: Andrei Arshavin, Edin Dzeko, Karem Benzema, Yohann Gourcuff, Maicon, Yaya Toure, Julio Cesar, Nemanja Vidic, Cesc Fabregas, Ryan Giggs.
Which means there are three players who are on the FIFA WPotY list but aren’t on the Ballon d’Or list: Gigi Buffon, Carles Puyol, Michael Ballack.
All of which proves that football awards and shortlists are completely subjective. And probably far too long. Whether players like Dzeko and Gourcugg deserved to be on the WPotY shortlist or not (I say yes) this award is more than likely going to come down to four men: Cristiano Ronaldo, Leo Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi.
Here are the ten shorlisted FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year nominees:
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)
Five of the ten players ply their trade in Women’s Professional Soccer, so read Melissa’s reaction to the nominations here.
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Comments | Add your comment
By Sarah | October 30th, 2009 at 2:11 pm 
I guess they felt the need to include one Italian…
Posted from 
United States
By alessio | October 30th, 2009 at 3:05 pm He definitely deserves to be in there.
By Vlad | October 30th, 2009 at 4:33 pm Marta definetly deserves to win the Womens Balon D’aur.
By Kieran | October 30th, 2009 at 5:24 pm How’d Ballack get on there? he didn’t have a great season last year…
I mean I think Darren Fletcher had a better season than Ballack
Posted from 
Australia
By Thomas | October 30th, 2009 at 6:01 pm The Ballon d’Or list is a lot better than FIFA’s. But I guess anyone could predict that. Seeing Michael Ballack on this list literally had me pulling out my hair.
Posted from United States
By mlyons | October 30th, 2009 at 6:21 pm The World Player of the Year is based entirely on international play, no?
By Daryl | October 30th, 2009 at 9:06 pm I don’t think so mlyons. Definitely international play is figured into it, but not exclusively. Club form counts too.
By Luka | October 30th, 2009 at 10:27 pm Can someone tell me exactly which seasons count towards recognition for the award? The fact that the “Player of the Year” award is totally out of sync with the footballing year is just mind-numbingly frustrating. In football, a YEAR is completely different with a SEASON.
Posted from Australia
By Melissa | October 31st, 2009 at 10:31 am I think this award is just an excuse for footballers to go to a fancy dress party and get their pictures taken.
By AFRICANA | November 1st, 2009 at 1:18 pm @Darly. Dispointed Your Site. Contious Hate Person, Who Say Racist Things
about Black/Person (name Rosnero,9Champs, Stallion, etc) allowed to Post @
Italyworldcupblog. But now you employee Julian delete my post, but leave his.
WHY YOU HATE US AFIRCAN?BLACK PEOPLE SIRS?
YOU A RACIST SITE?
By Daryl | November 1st, 2009 at 10:18 pm @AFRICANA,
I’m going to say the same thing here that I said to you on Italy WCB.
Please be aware that I know who you are. I know that you are one of the regular commenters here, posting under a different name and deliberately misspelling words while “in character” so as to appear to be someone else.
Your IP address gives you away every time, but we’ve let it slide until now.
Maybe you think you are helping get rid of the racist trolls by doing this. But you’re not, you’re just causing more trouble. So I want to make this very clear: Stop leaving comments under a fake name.
Any questions email me at daryl[at]theoffside[dot]com
By sanjay | November 2nd, 2009 at 10:46 am I am not happy with the shortlisted plyers becoz there are many players which canno tbe underestimated or ignorable like lennon of tottenham or pirlo of a c milan. But i think there is no if no but sirf cristiano….RONALDO….
Posted from United States
By osman | November 9th, 2009 at 6:13 am Drogba will win the fifa player of the year 2009
By prossy | November 10th, 2009 at 5:04 am I hope Messi will have to win because he deserves it and he can do best.
Possy Uganda
By miniLeo109 | November 13th, 2009 at 6:17 pm Messi or achelsea player should win.Messi tore up the league and chelsea is the best
Posted from Australia
By jo rushtian | November 18th, 2009 at 1:45 am messi is the best player 2009
By williamdinho | November 21st, 2009 at 3:16 am Drogba is indeed a football legend and him desive to be croown thee fifa player of the year.him have great tartics on and off the ball him is a man that never gave up when is team is down and him always fast aand quick in scorinng important goal for chelsea and his country team.
