FIFA has announced the shortlist for the men’s Ballon d’Or 2013 honors. The 23 nominees (featuring no English footballers) are:
Gareth Bale (Wales), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay), Radamel Falcao (Colombia), Eden Hazard (Belgium), Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Müller (Germany), Manuel Neuer (Germany), Neymar (Brazil), Mesut Özil (Germany), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Franck Ribéry (France), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Luis Suárez (Uruguay), Thiago Silva (Brazil), Yaya Touré (Côte d’Ivoire), Robin Van Persie (Netherlands), Xavi (Spain).
Meanwhile, the nominees for FIFA World Coach of the Year 2013 are:
Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Paris Saint-Germain FC/Real Madrid CF), Rafael Benítez (Spain/Chelsea FC/SSC Napoli), Antonio Conte (Italy/Juventus), Vicente Del Bosque (Spain/Spain national team), Sir Alex Ferguson (Scotland/Manchester United FC former coach), Jupp Heynckes (Germany/FC Bayern München former coach), Jürgen Klopp (Germany/Borussia Dortmund), José Mourinho (Portugal/Real Madrid CF/Chelsea FC), Luiz Felipe Scolari (Brazil/Brazil national team), Arsène Wenger (France/Arsenal FC).
The winners will be announced in January.
Here are today’s world soccer news headlines:
International soccer
- Men’s shortlists for FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013 revealed — FIFA
- Not a single Englishman on Fifa’s Ballon d’Or shortlist proves how far our home-grown talent has fallen behind — Telegraph
- Fifa changes commercial model to sell regional World Cup deals from 2015 — SportsPro
Premier League
- Sunderland’s on-loan striker Fabio Borini hoping on Liverpool return — The Guardian
- Marouane Fellaini admits Arsenal tried to sign him in the summer — 101GG
- Mario Balotelli’s agent talks up Chelsea move — Off The Post
- Newcastle United haven’t scored from a corner for more than two years and 78 matches — The Mail
- Mike Dean a completely ridiculous appointment for South Wales derby — The Swansea Way
- Watch: The moment Alan Pardew is gagged by Newcastle United — Newcastle Journal
MLS
- Seattle Sounders average 44,038 fans per game, break MLS record again — Pro Soccer Talk
Football League
- Football League considers use of goalline technology for Capital One Cup — The Guardian
- Brian McDermott admits that Leeds don’t have a scouting system or chief scout — 101GG
La Liga
Serie A
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If Jupp Heynckes and Schweinsteiger don’t win then the whole things should just cease to exist.
Its hard to to marvel at the stunning level of hypocricy of FIFA. First they state that Europe isn’t the epicenter of football anymore and that the european calendar should just adapt to the crazy 2022 WC winter proposals.
Then when it comes to the best player and manager in the world nomination FIFA have nominated only ONE non european based footballing professional either manager or player. Phil Scolari, which is a token gesture surely, his brazil side are favorites only b/c they are hosting in 2014 not for footballing reasons anyone saying other wise is crazy, he’s had his job under threat multiple times in the past year lol.
Yes Neymar was in Brazilian league but moved to the apparent delusional european leagues to play.
So out of all world football FIFA has not nominated on credible player or manager from any other federation than UEFA.
Where are the players and managers in domestic south american leagues? or concacaf? or africa? or asia? these apparent federations more important to football than UEFA?
Europe isn’t the centre…what a joke your are FIFA!
Absolute idiots, every single one!
FIFA has not nominated *NO credible player