Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto'o and Emmanuel Adebayor are on FIFA's 23-man shortlist for the World Player of the year award. Ivorian hitman Drogba played an instrumental role in helping Chelsea reach the Champions League final as well as competing for the Premiership title. He scored 15 goals in all competitions as the Blues enjoyed a decent campaign despite failing to claim silverware. Drogba also helped Ivory Coast reach the African Cup of Nations semi-final after scoring three goals in the tournament. Togolese striker Adebayor heavily impressed with Arsenal, putting in his finest displays since joining from Monaco in January 2006. The towering frontman notched 30 goals in 48 appearances, 24 of which were in the Premiership. He finished second in the scorers' chart behind Manchester United's wizard Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite an injury-plagued season, Barcelona's Eto'o was nominated. The Cameroonian scored 16 goals in the Primera Liga last season but the Catalan giants finished third in the standings behind winners Real Madrid and Villarreal. On the international level, Eto'o was crowned top scorer at the Nations Cup after netting four goals to become the tournament's all-time leading scorer. AC Milan's Brazilian playmaker Kaka was named the 2007 World Player of the Year. The full list: Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo), Sergio Agüero (Argentina), Andrei Arshavin (Russia), Michael Ballack (Germany), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Iker Casillas (Spain), Deco (Portugal), Didier Drogba (Côte d'Ivoire), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Cesc Fabregas (Spain), Steven Gerrard (England), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Kaká (Brazil), Frank Lampard (England), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Franck Ribéry (France), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), John Terry (England), Fernando Torres (Spain), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands), David Villa (Spain) and Xavi (Spain).
