The remaining contenders for the
2008 FIFA World Player and FIFA Women's World Player awards, which
will be handed out at the Zurich Opera House on 12 January 2009,
were announced on Friday. In alphabetical order, the male nominees
are Kaká (Brazil), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Cristiano Ronaldo
(Portugal), Fernando Torres (Spain), and Xavi (Spain), while Nadine
Angerer (Germany), Cristiane (Brazil), Marta (Brazil), Birgit Prinz
(Germany) and Kelly Smith (England) will contest the women's
award.
Among the exciting modifications which will
be introduced at the 2008 FIFA World Player Gala is the
participation of five men and five women footballers as opposed to
the three players from each category as in previous years.
The above-mentioned nominees were confirmed
after a poll in which the coaches and captains of men's and women's
national teams from around the world cast their votes on the basis
of a list of men's and women's candidates drawn up by FIFA.
In addition, the customary FIFA
Presidential Award and the FIFA Fair Play Award will be
presented.
