Spain, Germany dominate Ballon d'Or nominations

FIFA World Cup champion Spain had seven players nominated for the FIFA Ballon d'Or, followed by Germany with five, as the two countries combined for 12 of the 23 selections announced Tuesday.

Xabi Alonso, Iker Casillas, Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, David Villa and Xavi were nominated from Spain, while Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil and Bastian Schweinsteiger were picked from Germany.

Klose, Lahm, Muller and Schweinsteiger also appeared in the Champions League final for Bayern Munich, a 2-0 defeat to Inter Milan. Milan's Wesley Sneijder as well as Dutch teammate Arjen Robben - who led the Netherlands to the World Cup final - of Bayern also made the list.

Argentina's Lionel Messi and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo - the last two FIFA World Players of the Year - also made the list but are not favored to capture the award this season.

No English player made the list, and just three from the Premier League - Cesc Fabregas, Didier Drogba and Asamoah Gyan - were nominated.

All of the nominations played in the World Cup, and nine of them also appeared in the UEFA Champions League final.

The FIFA Ballon d'Or will be awarded for the first time, as the former FIFA World Player of the Year award and Ballon d'Or were combined. Three finalists will be announced on Dec. 6, with the winner announced Jan. 10.

Brazil's Marta and Germany's Birgit Prin, who have combined to claim the last seven women's FIFA World Player of the Year awards, are among the 10 finalists again this year.

Awards for the best men's and women's coach were also be given this year, with Spain's Vincente del Bosque, who led his team to the World Cup title, and Jose Mourinho, who led Inter to the Champions League title, among the nominations on the men's side.

Following are all the men's FIFA Ballon d'Or nominations:

Argentina - Lionel Messi; Brazil - Daniel Alves, Julio Cesar, Maicon; Cameroon - Samuel Eto'o; Germany - Miroslav Klose, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil, Bastian Schweinsteiger; Ghana - Asamoah Gyan; Ivory Coast - Didier Drogba; Netherlands - Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder; Portugal - Cristiano Ronaldo; Spain - Xabi Alonso, Iker Casillas, Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, David Villa, Xavi; Uruguay - Diego Forlan.

Bayern Munich win Super Cup

FC Bayern Munich started the new season as the old one had ended with a domestic trophy. The German Bundesliga giants, who had last season won the German double of league and cup, beat FC Schalke 04 in the season opening German Super Cup 2-0 at the Impuls Arena in Augsburg.
Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich

Bayern were forced to play without an injured Arjen Robben, a Franky Ribery who is in rehabilitation and rested captain Mark van Bommel and keeper Hans Joerg Butt; but still late goals from 2010 FIFA World Cup heroes Thomas Mueller and Miroslav Klose gave the Bavarians the title in the reinstated Super Cup. The Super Cup had been discontinued after the League Cup had been instated as a season opener with six teams playing each other in a knockout tournament, but with too many matches and teams, the League Cup was unpopular with the clubs and the Super Cup was brought back to life.

Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal was expected to field a weaker side giving yunger players a chance with his World Cup stars only in training since earlier this week but Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Mueller and Miroslav Klose all made the starting line-up. But with the stars missing a lot of eyes were on Spanish star Raul, who had joined FC Schalke 04 only a few days back. But it was Bayern Munich who had more of the ball in the first session, still they couldn’t utilise their possession as they played their usual passing game against a Schalke, who only a week back had beaten Bayern in a friendly tournament match at the Arena auf Schalke.

After the break Bayern Munich upped the tempo a bit and could have gone ahead in the 52nd minute as Klose hit the post, but in the 75th minute Bayern took the lead through Thomas Mueller who received the ball from Klose. Only six minutes later Klose would double the lead and seal the match off an Ivica Olic pass. The latest trophy for the Bayern Munich cupboards of silverware.

After the match Bayern coach Louis van Gaal said, “This team is better than last year’s because everyone knows what they have to do.”

While van Gaal’s counterpart Schalke 04 coach Felix Magath was more realistic about their chances this season. “You must see that we haven’t yet got the quality to beat a high-level team,” Magath said.

Philipp Lahm glad to be back

Glad to be back
First pre-season session for World Cup stars
02.08.2010

Philipp Lahm, Thomas Müller and Jörg Butt led the way onto the training ground, followed in close order by Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose and Co. After fully ten weeks away from the Säbener Strasse, the final batch of Bayern’s World Cup participants began preparing for the new season at club level on Monday.

“They’ve all made a really good impression, and if we make good use of the time available, I believe we’ll be in excellent form for the Bundesliga restart. I also think we’ll start the season well,” enthused director of sport Christian Nerlinger, delighted to welcome the senior squad in its entirety for the first time since the end of last season.

Lahm pleased to be back

“I’m happy to be here again,” Mark van Bommel commented just a few minutes before taking to the practice ground. Ahead of the session, the club captain and Lahm faced the media for their first news conference of the new campaign. Both players appeared relaxed, happy, and buzzing with anticipation. “It doesn’t often happen that you’re away from the club for ten weeks,” said Van Bommel. “Seeing familiar faces is a good and trusted feeling. It all starts again now,” the Dutch midfielder continued.

Lahm was beaming as he addressed reporters. “It’s great to see the lads again,” said the defender, who married his long-term partner just after the World Cup, but admitted he had spent the first two weeks of his three-week summer vacation “doing nothing but sleep and eat.”

Fourteen-day pre-season

The stars now face an exceptionally demanding challenge. In the space of just two weeks, coach Louis van Gaal must somehow return his first-choice team to a competitive state. Fitness is arguably less of an issue than many fans might think. “You don’t lose so much in just three weeks,” Van Bommel noted. The World Cup participants’ mental strength could be much more of a problem. “It’s hard when you only have two weeks to rebuild what you’ve spent the last three weeks trying to rid yourself of,” Lahm remarked, pointing out that the process of recharging the players’ metaphorical batteries could take a while longer yet.

The first competitive fixture of the new season takes place in exactly two weeks, when the nation’s most successful club face Germania Windeck in the DFB Cup first round on 16 August. Four days later, the new Bundesliga season officially opens when Bayern face VfL Wolfsburg at the Allianz Arena. However, nothing like a normal re-season programme will be possible before then. “Other teams have maybe two or three World Cup players in their squads, but we have eleven, and that’s a problem,” acknowledged Van Bommel.

Müller looking for enjoyment

However, the captain and his deputy are confident about the new campaign. “It’s not something we need to over-dramatise,” said Van Bommel. On the plus side, and in complete contrast to last season, the squad is fundamentally unchanged and all the players understand what the coach wants from them. “We’ve already trained together for a year. We have a foundation. The job this season is to develop further,” said Lahm.

Müller, the top scorer and Best Young Player at the World Cup, was in characteristically chirpy form as he contemplated the days and weeks to come. “Three weeks is enough holiday for me. I’m fired up for football and hope it’s just as much fun as always, right from the off.”

Deutscher Fussball Bund Germany Football Team 2010

the famous press conference with the "ballboy"

Goal.com 50: Thomas Mueller (15)

World Cup golden boot winner was the 15th best player of the 2009-10 season, according to a panel of Goal.com experts...
By Peter Staunton
30 Jul 2010 13:40:00

Welcome to the Goal.com 50! In this special series, Goal.com editors worldwide vote for the top 50 players of 2009-10. We count down to the announcement of the winner on August 10th with profiles of each and every player who made it into the top 50...

From the Bayern Munich reserves to a league and cup double, a Champions League final and the World Cup Golden Boot in the space of a year; that is the remarkable progress made by Thomas Mueller during the 2009-10 season.

What began as a potential season of further development in the long process of becoming a rounded player ended with Mueller being one of the most coveted commodoties in the European game after 52 games and 19 goals in all competitions.

Although the 20-year-old had been part of the first-team picture at Bayern during 2008-09, making four Bundesliga appearances and scoring once in the Champions League, he had to wait for Louis van Gaal to appear for his time to truly come. And he seized his chance with aplomb during a dominant season for FC Hollywood.

The Dutch coach has been renowned for his faith in youth and wasted no time in promoting Holger Badstuber and Mueller to full-time first team duties last summer. Such was the startling ability shown by the pair, new signings like Edson Braafheid, Danijel Pranjic and Alexander Baumjohann were quickly deemed surplus to requirements.

The Bavaria native proved himself to be a versatile player throughout his 'breakout' season, featuring in all Bundesliga matches across a number of positions as well as ending up as top scorer in the DFB Pokal.

Initially a substitute, Mueller powered his way to a brace against Borussia Dortmund in a September hammering and was quickly promoted to starting duties, earning a Bundesliga Player of the Month award in the process. As Bayern's season gathered momentum he became undroppable and fulfilled a key function in the line-up. Indeed, the only match he missed all season long was against Bordeaux in the Champions League as he was serving a suspension.

At times, in truth, the youngster foundered in continental competition and scored only twice in his 12 matches; that double came in the routine dismissal of Maccabi Haifa. Nonetheless the experience he accrued against some of the world's best teams will only serve to enhance his progress. He will however, mull over the chance he missed in the final against Inter that could have put FCB back on terms.

On home soil though, Mueller, and Bayern, were untouchable as they romped towards a record 22nd German title. Mueller netted vital goals against Werder Bremen and Schalke to help steer Die Roten to the top of the table. He was rewarded for his effervescence and maturity with a call-up to the national team, first in November, and then in March for the friendly against Argentina. That game served little notice of what was to come in the national colours on a poor night for the Nationalmannschaft.

Once club duties were wrapped up though, and a place on the BuLi team of the season assured, Mueller did enough to merit inclusion in Joachim Loew's World Cup panel, in which he filled the lauded No.13 jersey once worn by his namesake, Gerd, and Michael Ballack. After falling off his bicycle early in the pre-World Cup training camp, Mueller dusted himself off to become a starter for the tournament proper.

An outstanding display against Australia yielded a goal and a highly effective outing against England, in perhaps the team display of the tournament, brought two more. The quarter-final against Argentina saw him net again but a booking during the 4-0 win meant that he was ruled out of the semi-final against Spain. Had he been available, then the Germans may have come closer to the eventual winners.

The third-place play-off saw Mueller use his anticipation and composure to clean up Bastian Schweinsteiger's drive and put Die Elf in the ascendancy. His fifth goal of the tournament put him level on strikes with Wesley Sneijder and David Villa, but his three assists earned him the prize of Golden Boot winner. Mueller also saw off Andre Ayew and Giovani Dos Santos for the Best Young Player award.

Physically, Mueller still has a way to go to reach his peak; at times he can seem rangy and ungainly but there is no doubting the maturity and diligence of this outstanding prospect. Mature for his age, he married his childhood sweetheart, Lisa, in December but perhaps his response to being asked whether he proposed on bended knee will tell you all you need to know about the voracious learner and serial winner. "You only go on your knees when you celebrate a goal." There'll be more of that next season.