Balon d'Or candidates
Cannavaro, Raúl, Casillas, Van Nistelrooy, Diarra, and Robinho nominated
Real Madrid, Barcelona, and AC Milan each have six candidates to this year's Balon d'Or. Raúl, Casillas, Van Nistelrooy, Diarra, and Robinho join current title holder Cannavaro as the Madridistas up for the prestigious award.
With 16 players, the Primera Liga is the best represented League among the 50 candidates, while the Premiership is second with 15, followed by the Calcio with nine. France Football changed the rules for the trophy by allowing players from all countries to be considered, which also increases the number of sports writers who can vote.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Milan are the three teams with the most candidates. Raúl, Casillas, Cannavaro, Diarra, Van Nistelrooy, and Robinho are the six nominated Madridistas, while Henry, Abidal, Ronaldinho, Deco, Etoo, and Messi represent Barça, and Pirlo, Maldini, Inzaghi, Gattuso, Kakŕ, and Seedorf represent Milan.
THE 50 BALON D'OR NOMINEES:
Robinho (BRA/Real Madrid)
Ruud Van Nistelrooy (HOL/Real Madrid)
Raúl González (SPA/Real Madrid)
Fabio Cannavaro (ITA/Real Madrid)
Iker Casillas (SPA/Real Madrid)
Mahamadou Diarra (MLI/Real Madrid)
Eric Abidal (FRA/Barcelona)
Daniel Alves (BRA/Sevilla)
David Beckham (ENG/Los Angeles Galaxy)
Dimitar Berbatov (BUL/Tottenham)
Gianluigi Buffon (ITA/Juventus)
Petr Cech (CZR/Chelsea)
Rogerio Ceni (BRA/Sao Paulo)
Cristiano Ronaldo (POR/Manchester United)
Deco (POR/Barcelona)
Diego (BRA/Werder Bremen)
Didier Drogba (IVC/Chelsea)
Michael Essien (GHA/Chelsea)
Samuel Etoo (CAM/Barcelona)
Cesc Fábregas (SPA/Arsenal)
Gennaro Gattuso (ITA/Milan)
Steven Gerrard (ENG/Liverpool)
Ryan Giggs (WAL/Manchester United)
Thierry Henry (FRA/Barcelona)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (SWE/Inter)
Filippo Inzaghi (ITA/Milan)
Kaká (BRA/Milan)
Frédéric Kanouté (MLI/Sevilla)
Miroslav Klose (GER/Bayern Munich)
Younis Mahmoud (IRQ/Algharafa)
Paolo Maldini (ITA/Milan)
Florent Malouda (FRA/Chelsea)
Lionel Messi (ARG/Barcelona)
Shunsuke Nakamura (JAP/Celtic Glasgow)
Guillermo Ochoa (MEX/America Mexico)
Andrea Pirlo (ITA/Milan)
Ricardo Quaresma (POR/Porto) Franck Ribéry (FRA/Bayern Munich)
Juan Román Riquelme (ARG/Villarreal)
Ronaldinho (BRA/Barcelona)
Wayne Rooney (ENG/Manchester United)
Paul Scholes (ENG/Manchester United)
Clarence Seedorf (HOL/Milan)
Carlos Tévez (ARG/Manchester United)
Luca Toni (ITA/Bayern Munich)
Kolo Touré (IVC/Arsenal)
Fernando Torres (SPA/Liverpool)
Francesco Totti (ITA/Roma)
Robin Van Persie (HOL/Arsenal)
David Villa (SPA/Valencia)
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