Top footballer to be named

Ronaldinho, Fabio Cannavaro and Zinedine Zidane are among those up for the World Player of the Year award.Fifa will announce the winner at a gala in Zurich later.Ronaldinho, 26, will become the first player to win the award three times in successive years if he wins the vote of national captains and coaches from all over the world, including England's John Terry and Steve McClaren.His Brazilian compatriot Ronaldo of Real Madrid and the now retired Frenchman Zidane have collected the prize three times already but not consecutively.Ronaldinho is tipped by the Spanish media as the likely winner but many argue that a disappointing World Cup may have influenced the vote.Fabio Cannavaro is another strong favourite for the prize after becoming the first defender to be named European Footballer of the Year since Germany's Matthias Sammer in 1996.Cannavaro captained Italy to their 2006 World Cup triumph and was widely regarded as one of the tournament's outstanding players with his inspirational performances at the heart of the Azzurri back four.Zidane is the third favourite for the award.His infamous head-butt on Marco Materazzi in the World Cup final, which France lost to Italy on penalties, did not stop the playmaker from being shortlisted for the award he could win for a record fourth time.© Independent Television News Limited 2006. All rights reserved.

ITN | December 18, 2006

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