7 July 2006, by Tom Kundert

Maniche nominated for prestigious Golden Ball award

Ronaldo misses out on best young player gong

Maniche has been shortlisted for the Golden Ball award, attributed to the most valuable player at the Germany World Cup, as selected by a panel of journalists.

Maniche is one of ten players nominated for the prestigious trophy. The former Porto player, as at the 2004 European Championships, has hit top form at exactly the right time to showcase his attributes to the world.

It is perfect timing for the tenacious midfielder, who is seeking a new club away from current employees Dynamo Moscow, after an unsuccessful loan spell at Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea.

The selection of Maniche was no doubt helped by two excellent goals scored against Mexico and Holland, as well as his consistently high quality displays at the heart of Portugal’s midfield.

The last winner of the Golden ball was German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, whose performances helped his team reach the final in the Japan and South Korea tournament.

The full list of nominees is as follows:

Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
Maniche (Portugal)
Michael Ballack (Germany)
Andrea Pirlo (Italy)
Gianluca Zambrotta (Italy)
Thierry Henry (France)
Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)
Patrick Vieira (France)
Miroslav Klose (Germany)
Zinedine Zidane (France)

Meanwhile Cristiano Ronaldo has missed out on the young player of the tournament award.

German striker Podolski picked up the trophy following a series of fine displays and three goals in six matches.