By AbdulRaheem Aodu 

The Banquet Hall of Ghana State House will be agog this evening when the winner of the 2009 Glo-CAF African Footballer of the Year is unveiled by the Confederation of African Football at a colourful ceremony.

With the World Cup now just three months away, several reputable stars will be watching from the sideline, not because their nations did not qualify but chiefly on account of excruciating injury problems.  But there are few exceptions as in the case of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, who, in spite of their resurrected exuberance and form have been ignored by coach Dunga. Here we bring to your attention 10 top players from the qualified countries that may miss out on the tournament.

History is firmly against Real Madrid which have previously tackled les Gones on five occasions but have yet to record a solitary victory. Three times from three matches at Stade Gerland they have lost, while at the Bernabeu a couple of draws is all they have been able to muster. A tied encounter would be of little use to los Blancos tonight.

Manchester United are the favourites to progress through to the quarter-finals from this tie, but their 3-2 comeback victory against Milan at San Siro a fortnight ago must have come as a huge surprise even to their own supporters. Technically, the United side didn’t look on a par with the Rossoneri but it was their spirit, physical stamina and superiority and clinical ability to take the chances when they came that eventually led them to return home with a narrow lead.