A Video Guide to the 2010 Ballon dOr Shortlist

In honour of FIFAs Ballon dOr announcement today we have put together a video guide to the 23 nominations put forward by footballs world governing body.

Forget the fact Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and Diego Milito have missed out, simply celebrate each nominees finest moment from 2010.

Dani Alves (Brazil). He was part of Barcelonas title winning team and his marauding runs from deep are one of the features of Pep Guardiolas swashbuckling side. Not a regular goal scorer but hisstrike against Valladolid in January was a cracker.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal). CR9 became CR7 but whatever shirt the Portuguese forward wears at the Bernabeu he has banged in the goals for Real Madrid. The latest illustration of this came as he bagged four against Racing Santander on Saturday.

Samuel Etoo (Cameroon). Has switched from being a defensive forward under Jose Mourinho to Inter Milans talisman under new coach Rafa Benitez. The high point came with a goal against Denmark that briefly raised hope for the Indomitable Lions in South Africa.

Asamoah Gyan (Ghana). A terrific World Cup saw the Ghanaian striker move from Rennes to Sunderland. The stand out moment for Ghana was his goal against USA in the second round which illustrated his pace, power and deadly finishing. The less said about his crucial penalty miss against Uruguay the better.

Miroslav Klose (Germany). Poor form at club level meant nothing at the World Cup as he once again showed off his incredible finishing skills. Some terrific performances in South Africa took him to 14 goals in total in World Cups, one behind the Brazilian Ronaldo. His goal against England set the ball rolling for Germany as they humbled the old enemy.

Maicon (Brazil). One of the talking points of World Cup 2010 was whether Maicon meant to shoot or cross for Brazils opener against North Korea. Besides his energetic displays ! in South Africa, completed the treble at club level and established himself as the best right back in the world.

Arjen Robben (Holland). Its a real shame the Bayern Munich winger is made of glass, as he is one of the most devastatingwingers on the planet. Had a host of great moments in 2010, including some crucial eye-catching goals in the Champions League. Probably his biggest moment was a beautiful header against Uruguay in the World Cup semi-final.

David Villa (Spain). A true contender to win the Ballon dOr. Villa came close to finishing the World Cup as Golden Boot winner and with five goals was one of the key players in Spains triumphant side. For aesthetic quality, we have chosen his awesome chip against Chile in La Furia Rojas tricky final group game.

Carles Puyol (Spain). The Barcelona captain is another in with a shout of capping a remarkable year with the FIFA award. Puyol was part of a defence that conceded just one goal in South Africa and also chipped in with a glorious (Puyolazo) header to see off Germany in the semi-finals.

Diego Forlan (Uruguay). Awarded the Golden Ball award at the World Cup, Forlan won a planet full of admirers in South Africa where he led unfashionable Uruguay with grace, class and plenty of energy. Was one of the few players to tame the Jabulani, as he proved with an equaliser against Holland in the semi-final.

Mesut Oezil (Germany). He may now be wowing the Bernabeu but it has been an incredible year for Mesut Ozil. For many, the World Cup brought him to prominence as he was the instigator of counter attack wins over England and Argentina. His goal against Ghana in the group stages was what most will remember though.

Xabi Alonso (Spain). Being part of Spains World Cup winning squad, and being on the receiving end of that De Jong foul in the final, made Alonsos year memorable. His best game came though in the Madri! d derby at the end of March when he scored and had an assist in the 3-2 win over Atletico.

Iker Casillas (Spain). In 2010 Casillas rose to the top of the goalkeeping charts with the World Cup winners medal around his neck. His most famous moment though was when he showed his real game live on TV.

Cesc Fabregas (Spain). The Arsenal skipper had many fond memories in 2010, but the Roy of the Rovers moment came when he scored a late equalising penalty at home to Barcelona when he had a broken leg.

Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast). Arguably the best striker on the planet excelled for Chelsea last season with an amazing return of 32 goals, 11 assist in just 37 games. Perhaps the top memory of the lot came when Drogba scored a hat-trick in the 8-0 thrashing of Wigan on the final day of the season.

Julio Cesar (Brazil). The goalie played his part in Inters historic treble season under Mourinho, with his standout moment arriving in the Nou Camp when he managed to turn aside a Messi curler with his fingertips.

Thomas Mueller (Germany). The young Bayern midfield was superb at club level in 2010, but also showed maturity beyond his years as an integral part of Germanys World Cup squad and ending the tournament as the joint top scorer and its best young player.

Xavi Hernandez (Spain). Arguably the best midfielder on the planet, Xavi was the star player for both Barcelona and La Furia Roja in a glittering twelve months. One of his many stand-out displays came in the Classico where he provided two assists as Real were beaten 2-nil on their own turf.

Andres Iniesta (Spain). Xavis partner-in-crime, Iniesta will forever be able to tell people that he score the winning goal in a World Cup final. Respect.

Lionel Messi (Argentina). The reigning Ballon dOr holder put up a fantastic case to retain the title with an epic 2009/10 season in whi! ch he sc ored an outstanding 47 goals. Messi most unbelievable goal came against Zaragoza as the Flea ran rings around the home defence for one of the goals of last season.

Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands). The Dutch playmaker could be a dark horse to lift this years trophy after winning a treble with Inter Milan and then reaching the World Cup final with the Oranje. His winning header, and fantastic celebration, to knock Brazil out the World Cup was a highlight.

Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany). Schweini was at his magical best against Argentina in the World Cup as the Bayern star bossed the match in the centre of the park. His display was summed up by his contribution to third goal as he bustled beyond Di Maria, Pastore and Higuains before pulling back for Friedrich to bundle home.

Philipp Lahm (Germany). Proving that hard-work, consistency and defending like a Trojan can get you noticed by the footballing big-wigs, Lahms nomination stands for model professionalism. As such, here is a Lahm wonder-tackle from the start of the 2010/11 season.

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