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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;According to reports in the Italian press, Spain stars Iker Casillas and Fernando Torres are the two favorites for this year's Ballon d'Or.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Prior to Euro 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo was believed to be the frontrunner to win the prestigious prize following a prolific season for Manchester United in which he scored 42 goals in all competitions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;However, Ronaldo may have harmed his chances of winning the prize after a relatively poor Euros. The Portuguese attacker has also faced constant criticism that he fails to perform in the big games.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As a result, sections of the Italian press claim that Casillas and Torres are the two main favorites ahead of Ronaldo.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Casillas had a stunning club campaign for Real Madrid, playing a key part in its La Liga success. He was also a major protagonist in Spain's historic Euro 2008 triumph, particularly in the quarterfinal penalty-shootout win over Italy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Torres was also decisive in Austria and Switzerland, scoring the winner in the 1-0 final victory over Germany. The 24-year-old had a superb debut season for his club, Liverpool, scoring 33 goals in all competitions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beneath Casillas and Torres, the three other players who are said to be in with a chance of winning the Golden Ball are Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Russia star Andrei Arhsavin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The last Spaniard to win the Ballon d'Or was former Inter and Barcelona legend Luis Suarez, way back in 1960.&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/soccer/2008/07/09/ballon-dor>