Created on 26-10-2010 at 00:00 AM
Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Müller, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Arjen Robben are in contention for the World Player of the Year award, after the five FCB stars were named in the 23-strong list of contenders for 2010 released by world football’s governing body FIFA on Tuesday.
Louis van Gaal might also claim a prestigious accolade, as the FCB supremo is among the nominations for FIFA Coach of the Year. A total of ten coaches and managers have been put forward for the newly-created award, with their number also including Germany boss Joachim Löw.
The nominations are a recognition by the jury, comprising experts from FIFA and French journal France Football, of the outstanding displays by the men from Munich both at club level and at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Robben, Schweinsteiger & Co claimed a domestic double and reached the Champions League final with Bayern. For their national teams, Robben appeared in the World Cup final, with the Germany players finishing third in South Africa. Thomas Müller was also the leading scorer at the World Cup and was named Best Young Player of the tournament.