Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney have both been nominated for
FIFA's World Player of the year award.
The United youngsters are among 12 Premiership players on the
30-man list for the prize, which will be awarded in Zurich on 18
December after the head coaches and captains of all national teams
cast their votes.
Italy's World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and Arsenal's
French striker Thierry Henry, a losing finalist in Germany and in
the Champions League for his club, are the favourites to claim the
crown from last year's winner, Barcelona's Ronaldinho.
FIFA World Player of the Year shortlist: Adriano (Inter Milan,
Brazil), Michael Ballack (Chelsea, Germany), Gianluigi Buffon
(Juventus, Italy), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid, Italy), Cristiano
Ronaldo (Manchester United, Portugal), Petr Cech (Chelsea, Czech
Republic), Deco (Barcelona, Portugal), Didier Drogba (Chelsea,
Ivory Coast), Michael Essien (Chelsea, Ghana), Samuel Eto'o
(Barcelona, Cameroon), Luis Figo (Inter Milan, Portugal), Gennaro
Gattuso (AC Milan, Italy), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool, England),
Thierry Henry (Arsenal, France), Kaka (AC Milan, Brazil), Miroslav
Klose (Werder Bremen, Germany), Philippe Lahm (Bayern Munich,
Germany), Frank Lampard (Chelsea, England), Jens Lehmann (Arsenal,
Germany), Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan, Italy), Andrea Pirlo (AC
Milan, Italy), Franck Ribery (Marseille, France), Juan Roman
Riquelme (Villarreal, Argentina), Ronaldinho (Barcelona, Brazil),
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United, England), Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal,
Czech Republic), Andriy Shevchenko (Chelsea, Ukraine), Lilian
Thuram (Barcelona, France), Patrick Vieira (Inter Milan, France),
Zinedine Zidane (retired, France).
