M’Vila, French player of the year?

Next tuesday, France Football will announce the winner for the best French football player in 2010. The award will be attributed after the vote of all former winners of the trophy, created in 1958.

The twelve nominees for this award have already been announced, jointly in the magazine and TF1’s Football TV show «Téléfoot».

Yann M’Vila, whose performances with the French national team comforted as one of the most promising talent in the country, is part of this first selection. He will feature alongside Yoann Gourcuff (last year’s winner), Mathieu Valbuena, Hugo Lloris, Nicolas Anelka, Florent Malouda, Samir Nasri, Steve Mandanda, Abou Diaby, Kévin Gameiro, Adil Rami and Yohan Cabaye.

Although M’Vila’s chances seem rather scarce on paper, the midfielder could be benefiting of a “World Cup effect”. France Football’s chief redactor, Denis Chaumier, has indeed explained that «among the 35 voters, ten refuse to award any point to the players involved in the World Cup. Some are rally famous, like Michel Platini”. A boycott that promises points to M’Vila, Nasri, Gameiro, Rami & Cabaye, all left out of the competition in South Africa.

Several former Rennes players have won this award in the past, including Khennane Mahi (1961), Bernard Lama (1994), Sylvain Wiltord (1999) and Yoann Gourcuff (2009). Only Mahi won it while being a player at the Stade Rennais.

The winner, whose name will be announced on Tuesday, will be invited in Téléfoot on Sunday, December 19th.