The Ballon d'Or Shortlist Has Been Announced!

From the initial list of 30 nominees, 10 contenders have been shortlisted for the prestigious Ballon d'Or world footballer of the year award. Here, we will look at these ten world class footballers and their achievement for the year 2009.

1. Didier Drogba (Chelsea, Ivory Coast)
English FA Cup winner 2009
English FA Community Shield winner 2009



2. Samuel Eto'o (Inter Milan, Cameroon)
Holder of most La Liga appearance by an African footballer
Joint third highest goalscorer in Barcelona history
One of two players to have scored in two UEFA Champions League Final
UEFA Champions League winner 2009
Spanish La Liga winner 2009
Spanish Copa del Rey winner 2009


3. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool, England)
English FA Premier League runner-up 2009
Football Writers Association Footballer of The Year 2009
PFA Fan's Player of the Year 2009
Selected into the PFA Team of the Year 2009


4. Zlatan Ibrahimovich (Barcelona, Sweden)
Capocannoniere winner (Top goal scorer) in Serie A 2008-2009
Second highest transfer fee in football history 2009
Sweden Footballer of the Year 2009
Italian Serie A winner 2009
UEFA Super Cup winner 2009
Italian Serie A Player of the Year 2009
Italian Serie A Foreign Player of the Year 2009


5. Andres Iniesta (Barcelona, Spain)
Spanish La Liga winner 2009
Spanish Copa del Rey winner 2009
UEFA Champions League winner 2009
Supercopa de España winner 2009
UEFA Super Cup winner 2009
Don Balón Award for Best Spanish Player of the Year 2009
Trofeo Alfredo Di Stéfano Runner-up 2009
Voted by La Liga as Best Attacking Midfielder 2009


6. Kaka (Real Madrid, Brazil)
Ranked no. 134 in the 2009 Time 100 Finalist
FIFA Confederations Cup winner 2009
FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball winner 2009
Placed in FIFA Confederations Cup Best XI 2009


7. Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Argentina)
Spanish La Liga winner 2009
Spanish Copa del Rey 2009
Supercopa de España winner 2009
UEFA Champions League winner 2009
UEFA Super Cup winner 2009
Premio Don Balón (Best Foreign Player in La Liga) winner 2009
EFE Trophy (Best Ibero-American Player in La Liga) winner 2009
UEFA Champions League Top Scorer 2009
Trofeo Alfredo Di Stéfano 2009
UEFA Club Forward of the Year 2009
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year 2009
La Liga Best Player of the Year 2009
La Liga Best Striker 2009
Onze d'Or winner 2009



8. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid, Portugal)
Most expensive player and record transfer fee in football history 2009
English FA Premier League winner 2009
English League Cup winner 2009
Selected into PFA Premier League Team of the Year 2009
Spokesmodel for Emporio Armani 2009



9. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United, England)
English FA Premier League winner 2009




10. Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona, Spain)
Spanish La Liga winner 2009
Spanish Copa del Rey 2009
Supercopa de España winner 2009
UEFA Champions League winner 2009
UEFA Super Cup winner 2009
Selected into UEFA Team of the Year 2009
UEFA Champions League Most Assists 2009
UEFA Club Best Midfielder 2009
La Liga Best Midfielder 2009



On pure 2009 achievement alone, Lionel Messi is a shoo-in for the Ballon d'Or 2009 award and very much welcomed by fans and industry. The results will be known on the 1st December 2009.