BALLON D’OR 2013: TEN COACHES IN COMPETITION! AFRICA’S VOTE!

The 23 candidates for the 2013 Ballon d’Or have been revealed, and only one African player, Yaya Touré of Manchester City, is on the list. The winner will be announced on January 13 in Zurich. The list includes notable players like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and others.

Here are the 23 players nominated for the Ballon d’Or:

1. Gareth Bale (WAL, Real Madrid)
2. Edinson Cavani (URU, Paris-SG)
3. Radamel Falcao (COL, Monaco)
4. Eden Hazard (BEL, Chelsea)
5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (SWE, Paris-SG)
6. Andrés Iniesta (ESP, FC Barcelona)
7. Philipp Lahm (GER, Bayern Munich)
8. Robert Lewandowski (POL, Borussia Dortmund)
9. Lionel Messi (ARG, FC Barcelona)
10. Thomas Müller (GER, Bayern Munich)
11. Neymar (BRA, FC Barcelona)
12. Manuel Neuer (GER, Bayern Munich)
13. Mesut Özil (GER, Arsenal)
14. Andrea Pirlo (ITA, Juventus Turin)
15. Franck Ribery (FRA, Bayern Munich)
16. Arjen Robben (NED, Bayern Munich)
17. Cristiano Ronaldo (POR, Real Madrid)
18. Bastian Schweinsteiger (GER, Bayern Munich)
19. Luis Suarez (URU, Liverpool)
20. Thiago Silva (BRA, Paris-SG)
21. Yaya Touré (CIV, Manchester City)
22. Robin van Persie (NED, Manchester United)
23. Xavi (ESP, FC Barcelona)

Additionally, the list of 10 coaches nominated for the FIFA World Coach of the Year has been released:

1. Carlo Ancelotti (ITA) – Paris-SG/Real Madrid
2. Rafael Benitez (ESP) – Chelsea/Naples
3. Antonio Conte (ITA) – Juventus Turin
4. Vicente del Bosque (ESP) – Spain national team
5. Sir Alex Ferguson (SCO) – Manchester United (retired)
6. Jupp Heynckes (GER) – Bayern Munich (retired)
7. Jürgen Klopp (GER) – Borussia Dortmund
8. José Mourinho (POR) – Real Madrid/Chelsea
9. Arsène Wenger (FRA) – Arsenal
10. Luiz Felipe Scolari (BRA) – Brazilian national team

Voting polls have been created to gather opinions on who should win both the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Coach of the Year.