Barca quartet lead Ballon d'Or race
Sunday, 29 November 2009 12:53Four players from Champions League winners Barcelona are among the 10 finalists in the running for the Ballon d'Or named today by France Football magazine.
Favourite Lionel Messi was joined on the shortlist by team-mates Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who joined the club in the summer from Inter Milan.
Samuel Eto'o, who scored Barcelona's opening goal in their 2-0 Champions League win over Manchester United in May before moving to Inter as part of the deal which took Ibrahimovic to the Nou Camp, is also among the final 10.
Three players from the Barclays Premier League are in the final shortlist, Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard and Chelsea frontman Didier Drogba.
The remaining places are filled by two of Real Madrid's summer signings, last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazil international Kaka.
The winner of the award, which determines the best player in European football that year and is decided by a poll of football journalists compiled by France Football, will be revealed on Tuesday.
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres finished 11th in the voting, Cesc Fabregas 12th, Ryan Giggs 14th and Thierry Henry 15th from the original 30-man shortlist named last month.
Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic finished joint 16th, Andrey Arshavin and Frank Lampard joint 21st and John Terry joint 26th.
Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery only came 29th.
