Ribery confident of award

Franck Ribery said he was confident of winning the World Player of the Year award because he "made the difference" and "set defences on fire".

 

"I have no fear, I am confident. I have done all I had to," the Bayern Munich and France winger told French daily Le Monde in an interview on Monday.

 

"If you look at my performances all year long, I have made the difference. I may not score in every match but I set the defences on fire," he said.

 

The 30-year-old Ribery, who helped Bayern to win an unprecedented Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup treble last season, was crowned UEFA Best Player in Europe in August and is in contention for FIFA's worldwide Ballon d'Or award.

 

"So far this year, I have never failed. I have been good during the whole year with my national team and my club. What we did with Bayern last season was historic," said Ribery, who also helped France to qualify for next year's World Cup.

 

Asked if he feared competition from 2008 winner Cristiano Ronaldo after the forward scored all Portugal's goals in their 4-2 aggregate win over Sweden in the World Cup playoffs, Ribery said: "Not at all, honestly.

 

"Ronaldo certainly scores goals, but I do too. He certainly scores more than I do, but we don't have the same style."

 

FIFA will announce a three-man shortlist from the candidates, who also include four-times winner Lionel Messi, Barcelona's Andres Iniesta and Ronaldo's Real Madrid team mate Gareth Bale, early next month.

 

The winner will be announced on Jan. 13.

 

- Reuters