Spain lead nominees for FIFA Ballon d'Or

World and European champions Spain are well represented on the shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d'Or with seven players among the 23 nominees for the award.

Andrés Iniesta, scorer of Spain's FIFA World Cup final winning goal, is nominated along with goalkeeper Iker Casillas, defender Carles Puyol, midfielders Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fàbregas and Xavi Hernández, and striker David Villa. There are also five players from the Germany side beaten by Spain in the World Cup semi-final.

The newly created award is an amalgam of the France Football Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year. The list was announced together with the ten candidates for FIFA Women's World Player 2010. FIFA also revealed the respective contenders for two new awards – FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men's Football 2010 and FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women's Football 2010.

The lists were drawn up by members of FIFA's Football Committee, Technical and Development Committee, and Committee for Women's Football and the FIFA Women's World Cup, along with France Football magazine. A vote by captains and head coaches of men's and women's national teams as well as by international media representatives selected by France Football will decide the award winners. The three candidates in each category with the most votes will be named on 6 December, prior to the award ceremony at the FIFA Ballon d'Or gala on 10 January.

The full shortlists for the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2010 are:

FIFA Ballon d'Or 2010
Xabi Alonso (Spain), Daniel Alves (Brazil), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Cesc Fàbregas (Spain), Diego Forlán (Uruguay), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Júlio César (Brazil), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Maicon (Brazil), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Müller (Germany), Mesut Özil (Germany), Carles Puyol (Spain), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), David Villa (Spain), Xavi Hernández (Spain).

FIFA Women's World Player 2010
Camille Abily (France), Fatmire Bajramaj (Germany), Ji So-Yun (Korea Republic), Marta (Brazil), Birgit Prinz (Germany), Caroline Seger (Sweden), Christine Sinclair (Canada), Kelly Smith (England), Hope Solo (United States),  Abby Wambach (United States).

FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men's Football 2010
Carlo Ancelotti (Chelsea FC), Vicente del Bosque (Spain), Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United FC), Josep Guardiola (FC Barcelona), Joachim Löw (Germany), José Mourinho (FC Internazionale Milano/Real Madrid CF), Oscar Tabárez (Uruguay), Louis van Gaal (FC Bayern München), Bert van Marwijk (Netherlands), Arsène Wenger (Arsenal FC).

FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women's Football 2010
Bruno Bini (France), Choi Jin-Cheul (Korea Republic Under-20), Maren Meinert (Germany Under-20), Albertin Montoya (FC Gold Pride), Silvia Neid (Germany), Hope Powell (England), Norio Sasaki (Japan), Bernd Schröder (1. FFC Turbine Potsdam), Pia Sundhage (United States), Béatrice von Siebenthal (Switzerland).