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The International Football Federation Association (FIFA) announced three candidates vying for the title of the best player of the year in the world.
The contenders for the title are Brazilian Ronaldinho, an Italian player, and Frenchman Zinedine Zidane.
Ronaldinho, who has triumphed in these awards for the past two years, won the UEFA Champions League this year with Barcelona and also won the Spanish championship. However, in the World Cup with his national team, he stumbled in the quarterfinals.
The current Real Madrid defender, Fabio Cannavaro, who recently won the "Golden Ball" awarded to the best player in Europe, became a world champion with the Italian national team in the summer.
The third candidate is the legendary Zinedine Zidane, who ended his career this summer. He was the leader of the French national team that won silver medals in the World Championships. Zidane has been voted the best player in the world three times already - in 1998, 2000, and 2003.
To the surprise of many, another Frenchman Thierry Henry did not make it into this trio, despite leading Arsenal to the Champions League final and becoming a world vice-champion.
The best player of the year in the world will be traditionally chosen by all 207 national team coaches and captains. The winner will be announced on December 18.
In similar awards, the contenders to become the player of the year are American Kristine Lilly, German Renate Lingor, and Brazilian Marta. The previous laureate, German Birgit Prinz, did not even make it into the preliminary list of 20 candidates.
