As in previous years, before the FIFA awards ceremony, FIFA arranged a packed schedule of warm-up events.
At 2:00 p.m., the three candidates for the Women's World Player of the Year award and the candidates for Women's Coach of the Year attended a press conference. At exactly 3:00 p.m., the three candidates for the FIFA Golden Ball Award and the three candidates for Men's Coach of the Year attended a press conference and accepted interviews from the media present.
This year's FIFA awards ceremony had Real Madrid as its main attraction.
Among the eleven players named in the Best XI announced in advance, Barcelona occupied five places, while Real Madrid claimed four. The remaining two spots belonged to Inter Milan and Man City.
Casillas was in goal. The back line consisted of Maicon, Lucio, Ramos, and Puyol. The midfielders were Xavi, Sneijder, and Iniesta, while the attack featured Messi, Villa, and Yang Yang.
It was not difficult to see from this list that the judges had considered more than just the European League. They also placed great importance on performances at the World Cup. That was why Villa had beaten out Champions League killers like Ibrahimovic and Diego Milito to earn a place.
Barcelona had edged out Real Madrid in the Best XI announced beforehand, but in the Best Coach voting, Barcelona's Guardiola had failed to make the top three. The nominees were the highly acclaimed Spain National Team head coach Bosque, Real Madrid head coach Benitez, winner of the La Liga and Champions League Double Crown, and Inter Milan head coach Mourinho.
This basically matched outside expectations. After all, Benitez's first season coaching Real Madrid had been extraordinarily eye-catching, while Mourinho's previous season had also left an incredibly deep impression. Both men fully deserved their nominations.
Among the nominees