Well, the nominee's have been announced and look like this:

Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal), Togo.
Sergio Agüero (Atletico Madrid), Argentine.
Andreï Archavine (Zénith Saint-Pétersbourg), Russia.
Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Germany.
Karim Benzema (Lyon), France.
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus Turin), Italy.
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Spain.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Portugal.
Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Ivory Coast.
Samuel Eto'o (FC Barcelone), Cameroon.
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Spain.
Fernando Torres (Liverpool FC), Spain.
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC), England.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan), Sweden.
Kaka (Milan AC), Brazil.
Frank Lampard (Chelsea), England.
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelone), Argentina.
Pepe (Real Madrid), Portugal.
Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich), France.
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), England.
Marcos Senna (Villarreal), Spain.
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Spain.
Luca Toni (Bayern Munich), Italy.
Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United), Netherlands.
Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburg SV puis Real Madrid), Netherlands.
Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid), Netherlands.
Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Serbia.
David Villa (Valence CF), Spain.
Xavi (FC Barcelone), Spain.
Youri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscou), Russia.

First and foremost, the left-outs. Henry, Ronaldinho, not a surprise. World class, but as of late have been rubbish. The likes of Sheva can be added to that list, as his struggles have been well documented. Also, past winner Fabio Cannavaro is absent from the list most likely a victim of the list reduction from 50 to 30.

World class names without a chance: Ballack, Pepe, Senna, Vidic, Zhirkov.

Best shots: Messi, Ronaldo, Torres, Casillas, Xavi.

Messi - Probably the dark horse favorite behind Ronaldo. Undeniable talent and youth at one of the world's biggest club. Their new number 10 and talisman with Ronaldinho's departure. He's Barca's highest paid player for a reason, but is that enough to lift the trophy after Barca listed no trophies last season?

Ronaldo - The bookies favorite. 40 plus goals in all competitions last season. European Club champion. English champion. Pretty much sums it up. Over the years will surely be battling with Messi for best player in the world. Mouth watering if a move to Madrid materializes. El Clasico will be phenomenal.

Torres - Lit up the Premier League with underachieveing Liverpool. Will look to lead them to a domestic title, but his form has been undeniable. If he stays healthy he will be a nominee year after year.

Casillas - Takes the keeper position to a whole new level. Casillas or Buffon is everyone's first choice for a goalkeeper. Yet, it might prove tough to outshine the skilled wingers on the list.

Xavi - All around player. Golden ball winner from the summers Euro Championship. Truely the complete midfielder.

So, anyone's guess who the committee will select, but the bookies have to have Messi and Ronaldo as the favorites. What do you think?