Eto’o makes Fifa shortlist

Only two African players are in contention for the 2004 Fifa World Player of the Year award.
Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o Fils, the reigning African Footballer of the Year, and Ivorian Didier Drogba, both strikers, made the 35-man shortlist.

Eto’o, who joined Spanish club Barcelona for a US$29.5 million transfer fee in the summer, has got six goals in his eight games for the Catalan giants.

The 23-year-old made his name at Real Mallorca, where he scored 54 goals in 132 appearances.

Drogba, voted the 2003 French Player of the Year for his impressive strike rate with Marseille, became the most expensive African footballer in history when he moved to English Premiership side Chelsea in a US$44 million deal.

The striker scored 18 league goals for Marseille and a further 11 in European club competitions last season.

Since his arrival at Chelsea, Drogba has scored five goals in 10 games.

No African made the shortlist of 21 players in the female category.

Nominations for the 2004 Fifa World Player of the Year award:

1. Adriano (Brazil)
2. Roberto Ayala (Argentina)
3. Michael Ballack (Germany)
4. Milan Baros (Czech Rep)
5. David Beckham (England)
6. Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)
7. Cafu (Brazil)
8. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
9. Deco (Portugal)
10. Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast)
11. Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
12. Luis Figo (Portugal)
13. Steven Gerrard (England)
14. Ryan Giggs (Wales)
15. Thierry Henry (France)
16. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
17. Oliver Kahn (Germany)
18. Kaka (Brazil)
19. Frank Lampard (England)
20. Henrik Larsson (Sweden)
21. Roy Makaay (Holland)
22. Paolo Maldini (Italy)
23. Pavel Nedved (Czech Rep)
24. Alessandro Nesta (Italy)
25. Michael Owen (England)
26. Robert Pires (France)
27. Raul (Spain)
28. Roberto Carlos (Brazil)
29. Ronaldinho (Brazil)
30. Ronaldo (Brazil)
31. Wayne Rooney (England)
32. Andrej Shevchenko (Ukraine)
33. Ruud van Nistelrooy (Holland)
34. Theodoros Zagorakis (Greece)
35. Zinedine Zidane (France)