Five football players
have been short-listed from a list of 35 nominees for the Golden Ball Award
2010, organized by the Saigon Giai Phong (Saigon
Liberation) newspaper.

The five male
candidates include four halfbacks and one goalkeeper: Nguyen Minh Phuong from
Dong Tam Long An FC, Nguyen Vu Phong from Binh Duong FC, Nguyen Trong Hoang
from Song Lam Nghe An FC, Pham Thanh Luong from Hanoi ACB and goalkeeper Tan
Truong from Dong Thap FC.

The five players
have won most votes from the selection by journalists from 17 sports newspapers
in Vietnam.
Selection is based on performances and conduct of morals during competitions
last year. Their names were announced at a press conference on May 5 in HCM City.

Among the five male
candidates, halfback Minh Phuong is the most outstanding.

The five
short-listed female candidates are all members of the national women’s football
team. They are goalkeeper Kieu Trinh and Kim Hong from HCM
City, Ngoc Anh, Minh Nguyet and Nguyen
Thi Muon from Hanoi.
Halfback Kim Hong is said to be the most outstanding candidate.

The two top
candidates for the Best Young Player title are Dinh Thanh Trung from Hoa Phat
Hanoi FC and Nguyen Van Quyet from Hanoi T&T FC.

The two leading
candidates for the Best Foreign Player title include Gaston Merlo from Da Nang FC and Samson from Dong
Thap FC.

The winners will be
announced at the awards ceremony at HCM
City’s Ben Thanh Theater
in the morning of May 12, though it had been planned on late March.

Former striker Le
Huynh Duc and striker star Le Cong Vinh, currently top the honorable table with
each winning the award three times in the past 15 years.

Male winners of the
Golden Ball Awards from 1995-2009:

Le Huynh Duc (1995)

Vo Hoang Buu (1996)

Le Huynh Duc (1997)

Nguyen Hong Son
(1998)

Tran Cong Minh
(1999)

Nguyen Hong son
(2000)

Vo Van Hanh (2001)

Le Huynh Duc (2002)

Pham Van Quyen
(2003)

Le Cong Vinh (2004)

Phan Van Tai Em
(2005)

Le Cong Vinh (2006)

Le Cong Vinh (2007)

Duong Hong Son
(2008)

Pham Thanh Luong
(2009)

PV