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In Italy, rumors have spread that the country's champion and Ukrainian national team striker Andriy Shevchenko will be named the best player in Europe of the year in a journalist vote.
Although official confirmation will not be until December 13th, many reports in the press claim that this player will be awarded the "Golden Ball," given to the best European football player.
Rumors suggest that the magazine "France Football," which organizes the award, has already informed the "Milan" club of the results. Shevchenko is expected to receive the prize at the "Canal +" studio 10 days after being announced as the laureate. Other sources claim that the Ukrainian has already participated in a photo shoot and gave an interview to a French magazine.
It is believed that "Milan" club's vice president A. Galliani met with his colleagues on Thursday and organized a celebration for the player's receipt of the prize. Shevchenko will only be able to appear in front of the "San Siro" stadium fans on January 6th during the match against "Lecce," as on December 18th, "Milan" will be playing away against "Juventus," where the current prize holder P. Nedved is also playing.
If the 28-year-old Ukrainian does indeed win the award, this will be the seventh time a "Milan" player has been elected the best player in Europe. Previous winners have been Gianni Rivera (1969), Ruud Gullit (1987), Marco Van Basten (1988, 1989, 1992) and George Weah (1995).
Currently, Shevchenko is also one of the three main contenders for the FIFA Best World Player award, which could also go to Frenchman Thierry Henry and Brazilian Ronaldinho.
