Dirty TackleLuis Suarez left off Ballon d'Or shortlist, Jurgen Klinsmann makes FIFA Coach of the Year candidates
Though Luis Suarez has returned from his four-month ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup, it seems his punishment continues with his exclusion from the FIFA Ballon d'Or award shortlist despite matching Cristiano Ronaldo with 31 goals last season to win the European Golden Boot award.
Here are the 23 players who did make the list:
Gareth Bale (Wales), Karim Benzema (France), Diego Costa (Spain), Thibaut Courtois (Belgium), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Angel Di Maria (Argentina), Mario Goetze (Germany), Eden Hazard (Belgium), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Toni Kroos (Germany), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Javier Mascherano (Argentina), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Mueller (Germany), Manuel Neuer (Germany), Neymar (Brazil), Paul Pogba (France), Sergio Ramos (Spain), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), James Rodriguez (Colombia), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Yaya Toure (Côte d’Ivoire).
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich lead the way with six players each, while Barcelona have four (even without Suarez making it), Chelsea have three, and Man United, Juventus and Man City have one each.
Cristiano Ronaldo seems the favorite to claim to his second straight Ballon d'Or and third overall given his strong performances at the club level both last season and so far this season. But if his lackluster World Cup performance should hold him back, Germany/Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer could be the one to take it despite only one keeper ever winning the award before (Lev Yashin, 1963).
Meanwhile, U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann is the surprise inclusion on the list of 10 candidates for the Coach of the Year award after guiding his team out of one of the most feared groups at the World Cup and pushing Belgium to extra time in the round of 16. MLS commissioner Don Garber might not be pleased about his inclusion, though. And Jorge Luis Pinto, who was a penalty shootout away from reaching the semifinals with Costa Rica, definitely shouldn't be. Here's the list in full:
Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Real Madrid CF), Antonio Conte (Italy/Juventus FC/Italy national team), Pep Guardiola (Spain/FC Bayern Munich), Juergen Klinsmann (Germany/ USA national team), Joachim Loew (Germany/Germany national team), Jose Mourinho (Portugal/Chelsea FC), Manuel Pellegrini (Chile/Manchester City FC), Alejandro Sabella (Argentina/Argentina national team), Diego Simeone (Argentina/Atletico Madrid), Louis van Gaal (Netherlands/Netherlands national team/Manchester United FC).
Klinsmann is the first U.S. men's coach to be nominated for the five-year-old award, but former U.S. women's coach Pia Sundhage won her category in 2012.
The FIFA Women's Player of the Year award also features 10 candidates, including 2012 winner Abby Wambach as the lone representative for the top ranked U.S.
Nadine Angerer (Germany), Veronica Boquete (Spain), Nilla Fischer (Sweden), Nahomi Kawasumi (Japan), Nadine Kessler (Germany), Marta (Brazil), Aya Miyama (Japan), Louisa Necib (France), Lotta Schelin (Sweden), Abby Wambach (USA).
And the Women's Coach of the Year list features only one club manager (Seattle Reign's Laura Harvey):
Philippe Bergeroo (France/France national team), Peter Dedevbo (Nigeria/Nigeria U-20 national team), Laura Harvey (England/Seattle Reign FC), Ralf Kellermann (Germany/VfL Wolfsburg), Maren Meinert (Germany/Germany U-20 national team), Norio Sasaki (Japan/Japan national team), Pia Sundhage (Sweden/Sweden national team), Asako Takemoto Takakura (Japan/Japan U-17 national team), Jorge Vilda (Spain/Spain U-17 national team and U-19 national team), Martina Voss-Tecklenburg (Germany/Switzerland national team).
The winners of all these awards will be named at the Ballon d'Or gala on January 12, 2015.
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is the editor of Dirty Tackle on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him or follow on Twitter! Follow @BrooksDT
