Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson has said that he is not surprised that Wayne Rooney is the only English player to make the Ballon d'Or shortlist.
"It's not a shock, but it's interesting which players are involved," Ferguson said. "The fact there are so many Spanish-based players on the list tells you everything."
Rooney was named in the 23-man list yesterday amongst eight players from Barcelona including Lionel Messi, who has won the award for the last two years.