Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo was given a chance to defend his World Player of the Year title Monday when he was named on the shortlist for this year's accolade. Argentina's Lionel Messi, Brazil's Kaka, the 2007 winner, and Spanish pair Andres Iniesta and Xavi completed the shortlist for the title which will be awarded by soccer's governing body FIFA on Dec. 21. All five nominees play for Spanish clubs – Ronaldo and Kaka for Real Madrid and Xavi, Messi and Iniesta for European champion Barcelona. Messi has already won the Ballon D'Or awarded by France Football magazine, mainly after helping Barcelona to win the 2008/09 Champions League. The winner will be chosen by national team coaches and captains, who cannot vote for players from their own country. Last year Argentina coach Diego Maradona labeled the rules as stupid after he was unable to vote for Messi. Domenech's bonus Raymond Domenech was in line to receive 826,222 euros in bonuses as a result of France's successful World Cup qualifying campaign, according to a report to be published in Le Monde Tuesday. Figures from the French Football Federation (FFF) showed that the France coach should receive 198,000 euros for the 2008-09 season and 328,222 for the current 2009-10 season, with a further 300,000 euros in image rights for both campaigns. A player who participated in all of the France international matches that took place during the same period stood to receive 563,111 euros. “Every qualifying match gives rises to a guaranteed minimum of 10,000 euros for each player called up, no matter what the result is,” said Le Monde. “To this fixed amount is added an additional bonus, as an incentive to qualification, of between 100,000 and 240,000 euros depending on the number of appearances the player has made. “Another format applies for friendly matches: the bonus is unique but depends on the FIFA ranking of the opponent and the result of the match (18,000 euros for a victory over a team ranked among the top 10 in the world, 9,000 euros for a draw). “The coach benefits from a double share due to an existing arrangement in place since the 1998 World Cup.” The bi-weekly magazine France Football claimed on Nov. 20 that Domenech would receive 862,000 – a figure the coach himself described as “completely astounding”. “If it really was that, I would be as happy as anything,” he said. “But it is way over the mark. I won't even try and contradict the information because it is their usual editorial line. It is a lie. Money is not my motivation.”
