Today In History: Asamoah Gyan nominated for FIFA Player of the Year

On 26th October, 2010, Asamoah Gyan's impressive display in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa was recognised when he was nominated for the FIFA Player of the Year.

He scored three (3) goals during the Mundial to propel Ghana to the quarter-finals and were on the brink of semi-finals, but denied by Luis Suarez's handball against Uruguay in the extra-time of play.

Gyan was also impressive at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, scoring three goals to power Ghana to the grand finale against Egypt, which they lost by a goal to nil.

The 2009 winner Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Argentina as well as Real Madrid's Portuguese playmaker Cristiano Ronaldo were all named for the award.

Seven members of Spain's World Cup-winning squad made it onto the shortlist for the first ever FIFA Ballon d'Or award.

Xavi, David Villa, Xabi Alonso, Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas were the Spaniards who made the list, but there was no place for an Englishman, Frenchman or Italian after their poor performances in South Africa.

The winner will be revealed at a ceremony in Zurich on January 10, 2011, with the players chosen by football experts from the FIFA's Football Committee, the Technical and Development Committee and the Committee for Women's Football and the FIFA Women's World Cup, as well as by a group of experts from France Football magazine.

The new award is a combination of the FIFA World Player of the Year award and the France Football Ballon d'Or and on December 6, 2010, FIFA and France Football will announce the names of the three men who have received the most votes.

Shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2010:
Xabi Alonso (Spain), Daniel Alves (Brazil), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo(Portugal),Didier Drogba (Côte d'Ivoire), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Cesc Fabregas(Spain), Diego Forlan(Uruguay), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Andres Iniesta(Spain), Julio Cesar (Brazil), Miroslav Klose(Germany), Philipp Lahm(Germany), Maicon (Brazil), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Muller(Germany), Mesut Ozil (Germany), Carles Puyol (Spain), Arjen Robben(Netherlands), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Wesley Sneijder(Netherlands), David Villa (Spain) and Xavi(Spain).