FIFA PLAYER OF THE YEAR:PORTUGAL AND Real Madrid midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo has been included on the shortlist for the Fifa World Player of the Year award.
The 2008 winner is one of five contenders for the award alongside Real Madrid team-mate Kaka and Barcelona trio Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Xavi.
Ronaldo transferred from Manchester United to the Bernabeu for a world record fee in the region of €88 million in July, while Brazil playmaker Kaka joined from AC Milan in the summer.
Argentina’s Messi and Spain midfield duo Iniesta and Xavi were at the forefront of Barcelona’s treble-winning success, which saw the Catalan club claim the Champions League, the Primera Division title and the Copa del Rey.
Messi is favourite to land the award after recently winning the Ballon d’Or. The nominees were confirmed following a poll of national teams’ captains and coaches from a list drawn up of Fifa Football Committee experts.
The winners will be announced at the Fifa World Player Gala on December 21st in Zurich, Switzerland.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)