LONDON — Gareth Bale is not among the 23 best players in the world. He is not included on the shortlist for FIFA's Ballon D'Or, which will come as a surprise to those who saw the Tottenham winger destroy Inter Milan twice in the Champions League.

Sunderland substitute Asamoah Gyan was among the elite 23 as was Bayern Munich's Miroslav Klose. Both made a positive impression at the World Cup finals but have struggled at club level this year, so obviously it's what you do in three weeks in a FIFA competition rather than the rest of 2010 that matters.

Bale has played 46 matches for Spurs and Wales this year at a consistently outstanding level, but in FIFA's eyes he was erased from the reckoning because his country did not qualify for the World Cup. Maicon, the Inter and Brazil right-back who was made to look like a player desperate to hear the final whistle after chasing Bale for 180 minutes, is in the top 23 though.