Barcelona trio shortlisted for FIFA award

PARIS: Three Barcelona players -- Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Lionel Messi -- have been shortlisted for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for 2010.

Iniesta and Xavi played for Spain's victorious World Cup team, while Messi played for Argentina in South Africa.

The winner will be announced in Zurich on January 10.

Last year the trophy went to Messi for his outstanding play at Barcelona.

World governing body FIFA released a first shortlist of 23 players in October 26 with seven members of Spain's World Cup winning squad in the running for the prestigious Player of the Year award.

The revamped award is a combination of the FIFA World Player of the Year award and the France Football Ballon d'Or trophy, which have been run separately until now.

Italian sports daily Gazzetta Dello Sport reported in its Sunday edition that the award would go to Iniesta, who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final against the Netherlands in July.

Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder had been considered a strong candidate for the award, but he failed to make the shortlist.

Javier Zanetti, Sneijder's Inter Milan team-mate and captain, expressed his anger at Sneijder's snub and said he was also annoyed that Inter striker Diego Milito, last season's top scorer, was overlooked for the original list of 23.