2007 FIFA World Player of the Year (Kind of) Shortlist

By: Bob | October 10th, 2007

Every year FIFA’s technical committee releases a list of the players who have been shortlisted for the FIFA World Player of the Year award and every year the list is about as short as a child’s Christmas wish list. This year there are 30 players who are in the running for the award. Unlike last year (inexplicably still getting comments on that post), there seems to be a consensus about who will hold the trophy on December 17 in Zurich.

The smart money is on Kaka. The AC Milan and Brazil forward already has the FIFPro Player of the Year trophy in his trophy case. I’ll be shocked if the coaches and captains of the various national teams don’t select him.

What is interesting is that some people are riled up about who isn’t on the not-so-shortlist. Francesco Totti isn’t there. Neither are Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cesc Fabregas, David Villa and Luca Toni. Instead, you have the same players who seemingly always make the list even if they didn’t have great years last year. Players like Fabio Cannavaro who won the award in 2006 and looked like a lost sheep for most of last season at Real Madrid, and Samuel Eto’o who was injured most of last season.

Here is the list. Which three would you select to be finalists and who do you think most deserves the award?

2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Nominees

Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Fabio Cannavaro (Italy), Petr Cech (Czech Republic), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Deco (Portugal), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Michael Essien (Ghana), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Gennaro Gattuso (Italy), Steven Gerrard (England), Thierry Henry (France), Juninho (Brazil), Kaka (Brazil), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Frank Lampard (England), Rafael Marquez (Mexico), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Alessandro Nesta (Italy), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Franck Ribery (France), Juan Roman Riquelme (Argentina), Ronaldinho (Brazil), Wayne Rooney (England), John Terry (England), Carlos Tevez (Argentina), Lilian Thuram (France), Fernando Torres (Spain), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands), Patrick Vieira (France)