No Italians in Ballon D'Or 2010 Nominees

Fifa released its list of the 23 nominees for the Ballon D’Or of 2010. Along with the 23 players, there are also 10 managers/coaches competing for the World Coaches of the Year award. The winners of both will be announced by FIFA on December 6th.

Something which will stand out right away when you look at the list of the 23 players is that there are no Italian players. This was predictable especially with the Italian National team having trouble in the 2010 World Cup. While I thought that maybe the Juventus central defender Giorgio Chiellini could’ve made the final 23, he didn’t. I’m certainly disappointed, and I hope that next year we’ll be able to see a couple of Italian names on that list of 23 players. Maybe Giuseppe Rossi, Davide Santon, or Mario Balotelli?

Although the list is devoid of Italians, luckily there are some players representing the Serie A. There are only four Serie A players, and all four of them play for Inter Milan. They are: Julio Cesar, Wesley Sneijder, Samuel Eto’o, and Maicon. If you were to ask me, those are four great choices, but it’s a little disappointing that there’s no other Serie A side represented.

And there’s an interesting player who wasn’t included in the final 23, and that’s Diego Milito of Inter Milan. Surely if there was a star goalscorer from last year, you’d have to think about Inter Milan’s Argentinean. He scored both goals in the Champions League final to make sure that Inter won the historical trophy, but FIFA haven’t included him in the nominees for the Ballon D’Or. I think he should’ve been included, what about you?

Funnily enough, there’s an Italian on the list of the World Coaches of the Year award, good old Carlo Ancelotti. Carlo did a great job at Chelsea in his first year, and he won the English Premier League title. Along with Carlo, Jose Mourinho is nominated after his extraordinary treble which he accomplished with Inter Milan last year.

While I think this award will go to Jose Mourinho, what are your thoughts? Please comment below! And what are your thoughts regarding the lack of Italians? Who do you think will be the next Italian to be on the shortlist? Share your thoughts below! And if you haven’t seen the list of the nominees yet, be sure to check it out here!