Ronaldo is the current occupier of both following his explosive exploits at the 2002 World Cup, and while Arsenal's Thierry Henry is strongly tipped to beat off the challenge of fellow nominees Ronaldo and Zinédine Zidane to be crowned World Footballer of the Year by FIFA, it is notoriously harder to predict who will chosen as European Footballer of the Year.

An annual poll of football journalists from around the globe has been conducted by renowned magazine France Football, with the top three set to be announced this afternoon.

And TheFA.com is here to briefly analyse those who are in the running:

Pavel Nedved (Juventus)
Age: 31
Position: Midfield
Previous clubs: Lazio, Sparta Prague

The Czech Republic playmaker has enjoyed another hugely successful year with both club and country, although his copybook was blotted somewhat by his suspension from the Champions League final at Old Trafford last May, a match that his team Juventus lost to AC Milan on penalties.

However, winning his second successive Serie A title with the 'Old Lady of Italian Football' slightly made up for that disappointment, and the blond-haired schemer had an influential part to play in his team's title win, continuing that form into this season, making him currently Europe's most valuable midfield player.

Barring injury, we will be able to see Nedved's full array of skills at the European Championships next summer as the Czech Republic, ably assisted by their skipper, who turned in a series of inspirational performances during qualification, emerged ahead of the Netherlands in the race for Euro 2004. Recently voted as footballer of the year by World Soccer magazine.

Paolo Maldini (AC Milan)
Age: 35
Position: Defence
Previous clubs: None

The AC Milan skipper's year was defined by May's Champions League final in Manchester, when the elegant defender won his fourth European Cup-winners medal, but his first as captain of his beloved Rossoneri, after a penalty shoot-out victory of great rivals Juventus.

The former Italy international has benefited greatly from having retired from the national scene following Italy's disastrous exit at the hands of South Korea at the 2002 World Cup, and like England's Alan Shearer, his form appears as good as it was during his heyday in the mid-1990s. So much so, that there have been calls for him to return for the Azzurri at Euro 2004.

However, defenders rarely win individual awards, especially this one, although it would be a fitting reward for one of modern football's great defenders if that were to change this time around.

Thierry Henry (Arsenal)
Age: 26
Position: Forward
Previous clubs: Monaco and Juventus

The Arsenal front man has made a late run for the title, with his recent one-man demolition job of Internazionale at San Siro just one of a number of individual performances that have caught the eye of European audiences this season.

That is not to say that the speedster did not enjoy an outstanding start to the year with his club either, although Arsenal's subsequent failure to land the Premiership title, or make significant progress in Europe's premier club competition, may well count against him in the final reckoning.

On the international stage, the Frenchman has also been in scintillating form, driving les bleus to defend their title at Euro 2004 next summer, while in the process helping Jacques Santini's men to 13 wins on the bounce, including eight during qualifying. And, as seen during a recent destruction of Germany in Gelsenkirchen, the Gunner is now second only to Zinédine Zidane in terms of importance and influence within the French team.