Johannesburg: Three Spaniards feature in the
10 players nominated for the player of the World Cup finals
announced by world governing body FIFA on Friday.
Barcelona midfield duo Andres Iniesta and Xavi - voted
the player of Euro 2008 - along with leading scorer David
Villa, who joined Barca from Valencia prior to the tournament
for 40million euros are the trio nominated from the World Cup
finalists` team.
Their opponents The Netherlands by contrast provide two
in the form of Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben and Inter
Milan playmaker Wesley Sneijder, joint top scorer along with
Villa at the finals with five goals.
They are joined by Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan, scorer
of four goals as the South Americans flew the flag for their
continent in reaching the semi-finals, and also Ghanaian
forward Asamoah Gyan.
Gyan scored three times for the African giants as they
reached the last eight, but were deprived of a place in the
semi-finals after a goalbound effort was illegally punched off
the line by Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez.
Gyan missed the ensuing penalty in the last kick of the
match and the South Americans won the penalty shootout.
Barcelona`s Argentinian playmaker Lionel Messi features
on the list despite failing to score here but he was at the
heart of most of their creative play up to their humbling by
Germany in the quarter-finals. Young German star Mesut Ozil
and team-mate Bastian Schweinsteiger round off the list.
The list reflects the dominance of European teams at the
tournament with two in the final - which will result in Europe
triumphing for the first time outside their continent - and
three of the four semi-finalists.
The winner in 2006 was somewhat controversially French
star Zinedine Zidane, who was anointed despite having been
sent-off in extra-time of the final for headbutting Italian
defender Marco Materazzi. His successor will be announced
after Sunday`s final at Soccer City.
The young player of the tournament will also be announced
after the final whistle with the three nominees.
One is German attacking midfielder Thomas Mueller - who
has scored four times in the finals and was sorely missed in
the semi-final defeat by Spain - and another is Ghanaian Andre
Ayew - son of former African player of the year Abedi Pele -
who was badly missed by the `Black Stars` in their
quarter-final as he was suspended.
The third nominee is Mexican Giovanni Dos Santos - on
loan at Turkish side Galatasaray from Premier League outfit
Spurs - who played in all four of his country`s games at the
finals.
The three nominees were selected from a list of 35
players born after January 1 1989.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.