2013 Ballon d’Or nominees have been announced. 23 players from all around Europe have been nominated for football’s highest individual honour, with German Bundesliga leading the way with six nominees.
In early December of this year, FIFA and France Football will announce the names of three men and three women, as well as three coaches from both men and women’s football, who have received the most votes; however winners will not be announced.
The three nominees for the FIFA Puskás Award and the FIFA FIFPro World XI shortlist for the best forwards, goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders will also be announced at the same time.
Former Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale, who has joined Real Madrid for a world record transfer fee, gets a nomination for his outstanding performances last season. Liverpool striker Luis Suarez also find a name among the nominees, while surprisingly Chelsea star Eden Hazard is also on the nominee list, though one might feel Juan Mata was unlucky to miss out.
Germany leads the race with seven representatives, six from Bayern Munich itself – Thomas Mueller, Phillip Lahm, Manuel Neuer, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger while Poland striker Roberto Lewandowski of Borussia Dortmund has also been included.
The complete list of Ballon d’Or Nominees is as follows:
Gareth Bale (Wales) – Tottenham Hotspur/Real Madrid
Edinson Cavani (Uruguay) – Napoli/PSG
Radamel Falcao (Colombia) – Atletico Madrid/Monaco
Eden Hazard (Belgium) – Chelsea
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) – PSG
Andres Iniesta (Spain) – Barcelona
Phillip Lahm (Germany) – Bayern Munich
Robert Lewandowski (Poland) – Borussia Dortmund
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – Barcelona
Thomas Mueller (Germany) – Bayern Munich
Neymar (Brazil) – Santos/Barcelona
Manuel Neuer (Germany) – Bayern Munich
Mesut Ozil (Germany) – Real Madrid/Arsenal
Andrea Pirlo (Italy) – Juventus
Franck Ribery (France) – Bayern Munich
Arjen Robben (Holland) – Bayern Munich
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – Real Madrid
Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany) – Bayern Munich
Luis Suarez (Uruguay) – Liverpool
Thiago Silva (Brazil) – PSG
Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast) – Manchester City
Robin Van Persie (Holland) – Manchester United
Xavi (Spain) – Barcelona
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