Adding Insult to Injury

Thierry Henry, the only player who appeared in both the European Champions League and World Cup finals in 2006, might be forgiven for wondering precisely what he has to do to impress the unimpressive. He’s barely begun to recover from yet another snub inflicted by the so-called elite football journalists of Europe, who have once again debarred him from the honour of the Ballon D’Or, when FIFA have announced the short list for their World Player of the Year Award – Fabio Cannavaro, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldinho.

In other words, an efficient defender who captained his country to an unlikely (and largely unpopular) World Cup victory, a fading (and now retired) superstar whose last act was to lose his cool in the face of provocation and butt an opponent, and a supremely gifted player whose genius seems to be in storage after a disappointing World Cup and some mediocre performances for Barcelona this season.