World's best player to be unveiled in Goal.com 50 countdown

(London UK and New York, US) – (July 2010) - Goal.com are proud to unveil the return of the Goal.com 50, the definitive guide to the best performers in football during 2009/10 as judged by its global base of editors and fans. Goal.com is the world’s largest new media football community, delivering 22 editions in 15 languages which means that it is perfectly placed to assess which players have consistently been the best over the last 12 months. Enlisting its chief editors around the world to vote, the Goal.com 50 countdown sees each ranked player profiled to shed light on their inclusion, linking to their Goal.com player profile which provides stats such as number of appearances and goals. The date for all fans to pencil into their diaries is 10th August which is when the winner will be revealed. Who will follow in the footsteps of the 2009 Goal.com 50 winner Lionel Messi or occupant of the much-coveted number one spot in 2008 Cristiano Ronaldo. Inevitably, however, the results will cause much debate around the world, and as such voting then opens for the fans’, inviting Goal.com’s 25 million unique users to have their say and determine who has been the best player in 2009/10. Will there be a unanimous winner or will the Goal.com experts and the fans disagree on their choice? On the Goal.com 50, Ewan MacDonald, Goal.com International Editor, said: “The Goal.com 50 is our chance to assess the performances of players around the world, and not just those that you’ve heard the most about. “The Goal.com editors have their say and then we open voting up to the fans to see who they think has been the most impressive performer, and we expect some fascinating results on the back of exciting domestic seasons and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.” Key Dates July 14th: The countdown begins, with the editors' top 50 list starting to form, with between 1 and 3 players announced per day until... August 11th: The editors' Goal.com 50 winner is revealed! August 11th, 0700 CET: The voting begins to determine who will top the fans' vote. August 17th, 2300 CET: The voting closes and the vote count starts. August 18th, 0900 CET: The winner of the fans' vote for the Goal.com 50 is revealed! -Ends- About Goal.com: Goal.com was founded in 2004 by Gianluigi Longinotti-Buitoni and has grown into the largest football new media community on the planet with 22 editions delivering content in 15 languages. In June 2010 Goal.com recorded 25 million unique users from every country in the world. Goal.com uniquely presents football through the eyes of its local editors who live in the locations on which they report, ensuring they express the cultural, ethnical, political, economic, religious, and social distinctiveness in each region. Goal.com’s aim is to unite the world through its mutual passion for football. For further information please contact Goal.com PR Director Will Wood on will.wood@goal.com.

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