Pirlo up for Confederations Golden Ball Andrea Pirlo is short-listed for the Confederations Cup Golden Ball along with Neymar, Paulinho, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Ramos and Luis Suarez. FIFA released their six-man short-list for the award, which in the past has gone to the likes of Kaka, Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho. It goes to the best player of the tournament and will be chosen by media representatives, announced straight after the Brazil-Spain Final on Sunday. The runner-up receives the Silver Ball and third place a Bronze Ball. Veteran midfielder Pirlo scored with a sensational free kick against Mexico and proved crucial in Italy’s other games. He missed the 4-2 defeat to Brazil through injury and won’t be available for Sunday’s third place final with Uruguay for the same recurring calf problem. All the six nominees play for teams that reached the final four of the Confederations Cup. Neymar and Paulinho represent Brazil, Iniesta and Ramos Spain, while Luis Suarez plays for Uruguay.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Jun 2013 08:35:25 +0000