GOLDEN BALL NOMINEES

FIFA has announced ten nominees for the Golden Ball award at the World Cup 2010 in South Africa. Here is the list of nominees:

1. Diego Forlán (Uruguay)
2. Asamoah Gyan (Ghana)
3. Andrés Iniesta (Spain)
4. Lionel Messi (Argentina)
5. Mesut Özil (Germany)
6. Arjen Robben (Netherlands)
7. Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany)
8. Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands)
9. David Villa (Spain)
10. Xavi (Spain)

3 Spanish, 2 Dutch and 2 Germans... clearly stating which were the best teams in the tournament!

My vote would go for Xavi (Spain). He's got the most number of successfully completed passes in the tournament, and has been the heart of Spanish midfield. He has been the key figure in the team and their strategy of holding ball possession has been centered around the control showed by him and his fellow midfielder, Andrés Iniesta.

I was surprised that Thomas Müller (Germany) did not get a nomination. He's been a huge force in Germany's march to the semis... and their chance to be the No. 3 team in this World Cup. Mesut Özil from Germany is a very good nomination though. This young left - footer has impressed one and all!

These ten men have a chance of getting their name written in history, alongside the likes of Pelé (Brazil - 1970), Diego Maradona (Argentina - 1986), Ronaldo (Brazil - 1998), Oliver Kahn (Germany - 2002) and Zinedine Zidane (France - 2006). May the best man win!