FIFA News Release - www.fifa.com

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

ZURICH -- Seven current and former W-League players are up for FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year according to the list of 26 players announced as nominees for the honor by the world’s governing body.

Adjoa Bayor (Ghana), Daniela (Brazil), Formiga (Brazil), Kristine Lilly (USA), Christine Sinclair (Canada), Kelly Smith (England) and Abby Wambach (USA) are the seven W-League alumni vying for the seventh edition of the honor.

W-League 2007 All-League selection Formiga, coming off a successful season with Jersey Sky Blue, helped lead Brazil to a second-place finish at the Women’s World Cup in China last month along with teammate Daniela, a former member of the Hampton Roads Piranhas, and the 2006 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year recipient Marta. Marta had finished in the top three in voting the two previous years.

Kristine Lilly (Delaware Genies) and Abby Wambach (Rochester Ravens) helped guide the United States to their fifth semifinal appearance and a third-place finish at the World Cup. Lilly finished second in the voting for the 2006 honor. Former Boston Renegade Shannon Boxx was third in voting in 2005. Wambach, who played for the Ravens as a teenager, scored six goals finished second in World Cup scoring behind Marta (7).

Kelly Smith (New Jersey Wildcats) finished tied for sixth in goals scored at the World Cup with four as she helped lead England to the Quarterfinals. Former African Women’s Footballer of the Year Adjoa Bayor (Northern Virginia Majestics) helped lead Ghana to her third World Cup appearance of her career. The team captain scored one of her team’s three goals in the tournament. Former Vancouver Whitecap Christine Sinclair finished tied for ninth in goals with three in the campaign, the lone player on the squad to tally more than one.

FIFA has turned to the leadership of the world’s national teams - both those wearing the captain’s armband on the pitch and the guiding master technicians on the touch line - to select the "best of the best" for 2007.

At the beginning of December, FIFA will announce the names of the three men and women who have received the most votes and the winners will be revealed at the 17th FIFA World Player Gala at the Zurich Opera House on 17 December.

The lists of 30 male and 26 female candidates for these prestigious awards have been drawn up by football experts from the Technical and Development Committee, the Football Committee, the Committee for Women’s Football and the FIFA Women’s World Cup as well as women’s football specialists on other FIFA committees.

The following 26 women (in alphabetical order) are in contention for the title of FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year 2007:

Nadine Angerer (Germany), Adjoa Bayor (Ghana), Cristiane (Brazil), Daniela (Brazil), Lisa de Vanna (Australia), Formiga (Brazil), Christie George (Nigeria), Ragnhild Gulbrandsen (Norway), Duan Han (China), Ariane Hingst (Germany), Jie Li (China), Kristine Lilly (USA), Renate Lingor (Germany), Marta (Brazil), Perpetua Nkwocha (Nigeria), Bente Nordby (Norway), Cathrine Paaske Sörensen (Denmark), Birgit Prinz (Germany), Un Suk Ri (Korea DPR), Christine Sinclair (Canada), Kelly Smith (England), Rebecca Smith (New Zealand), Ane Stangeland Horpestad (Norway), Kerstin Stegemann (Germany), Ingvild Stensland (Norway) and Abby Wambach (USA).

The following 30 men (in alphabetical order) are in contention for the title of FIFA World Player of the Year 2007:

Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Fabio Cannavaro (Italy), Petr Cech (Czech Republic), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Deco (Portugal), Didier Drogba (Côte d’Ivoire), Michael Essien (Ghana), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Gennaro Gattuso (Italy), Steven Gerrard (England), Thierry Henry (France), Juninho (Brazil), Kaká (Brazil), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Frank Lampard (England), Rafael Márquez (Mexico), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Alessandro Nesta (Italy), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Franck Ribéry (France), Juan Román Riquelme (Argentina), Ronaldinho (Brazil), Wayne Rooney (England), John Terry (England), Carlos Tévez (Argentina), Lilian Thuram (France), Fernando Torres (Spain), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands) and Patrick Vieira (France).