Not a success, but an absolute triumph: while all rumours now indicate with near certainty that the Golden Ball (Ballon d’Or) award is nobody’s but Kaká’s, details trickle through regarding the distance between 1^st and 2^nd spot, and apparently it’s huge. Latest indiscretions suggest the Brazilian AC Milan midfielder obtained a total of over 400 points, way ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo (2^nd), Lionel Messi (3^rd), Didier Drogba (4^th) & Co. If results are confirmed, Kaká would be the 10^th player ever in history to have managed to FIFA World Player of the Year-Ballon d’Or double (the last one being Fabio Cannavaro in 2006).

The first Italian player it seems, is Andrea Pirlo (5^th), which is a nice recognition for the irreplaceable playmaker of Italy and AC Milan. Completing the Top 10 we find Ruud Van Nistelrooy (6^th), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (7^th), Cesc Fabregas (8^th), Robinho (9^th), and Thierry Henry (10^th).

The absolute dominator of 2005, Ronaldinho, dropped down the ranks and finished 12^th, while between ranks 15 and 20 we ought to find some more Italian players, namely Pippo Inzaghi, Paolo Maldini, Gigi Buffon, and Gennaro Gattuso. The 2006 Ballon d’Or winner, Fabio Cannavaro, reportedly didn’t make the Top 20.

The officiality of the ranking will be unveiled on Sunday December 2, on the French TV channel TF1. As a reminder, this will be the first Golden Ball awarded to the ‘Best player in the World’, with no distinction as to the player’s nationality or the league he currently plays in.

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