Fulham midfielder Junichi Inamoto has been rewarded for his fabulous World Cup performance with a place among the top 50 footballers in Europe.
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Fulham midfielder Junichi Inamoto
included in Ballon d'Or vote |
As France Football confirm their half-century of candidates for the coveted Ballon d'Or, the Fulham midfielder is perhaps a surprise inclusion on the list.
After impressing in the Far East for Japan during the finals, the former Arsenal man has been revitalised since crossing London, although he is currently struggling to hold down a first team starting spot.
As previously reported, England have three nominees - David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand and last year's winner Michael Owen - with Welshman Ryan Giggs also a contender.
52 journalists from all over Europe will vote for the European Footballer of the Year, as each of them will choose five players from the lengthy short-list.
14 players are from La Liga, 10 represent The Premiership, nine play in Serie A, eight in Die Bundesliga and Le Championnat has six representatives.
Full list:
Pablo Aimar, Sonny Anderson, Michael Ballack, Ruben Baraja, Yildiray Basturk, David Beckham, Cafu, Djibril Cisse, Alessandro Del Piero, Papa Bouba Diop, El Hadji Diouf, Edmilson, Rio Ferdinand, Luis Figo, Ryan Giggs, Hasan Sas, Thierry Henry, Iker Casillas, Junich Inamoto, Filippo Inzaghi, Oliver Kahn, Miroslav Klose, Patrick Kluivert, Lucio, Luis Enrique, Roy Makaay, Claude Makelele, Paolo Maldini, Michael Owen, Pauleta, Raul, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Tomas Rosicky, Javier Saviola, Bernd Schneicer, Seol Ki-Hyeon, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Francesco Totti, David Trezeguet, Juan Carlos Valeron, Pierre van Hooijdonk, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Patrick Vieira, Christian Vieri, Marc Wilmots, Sylvain Wiltord, Zinedine Zidane.