With perfect timing, an email with the shortlist for the arrived on Tuesday morning just as
For those that don't know, this award replaces the former Fifa World Player of the Year after a merger earlier this year between it and the historic Ballon d'Or award, presented by the magazine France Football, which has been around since 1956.
Having looked through this year's list of initial nominees, two things immediately struck me.
The two most successful teams in European club history go head-to-head in the Champions League this week.
And both Real Madrid, who have won the European Cup and Champions League nine times, and AC Milan, who have seven triumphs to their name, go into Tuesday's game at the Santiago Bernabeu in good form domestically.
Jose Mourinho's men are unbeaten and top of La Liga, boasting both the best scoring and defensive records after finding the net 16 times and conceding only three goals.
The 6-1 thrashing of Deportivo La Coruna two weeks ago was followed up by a 4-1 win at a hapless Malaga side on Saturday, results that have certainly helped Real put behind them their rather uncertain start to the season.
Drab goalless draws at Mallorca and Levante hardly acted as a showcase for the new talents signed in the summer but Real's strikers have clearly rediscovered the art of finding the net since then.
This was supposed to be the brave new era for Italian football. At least, that was the headline which appeared in not long after Cesare Prandelli's appointment as coach of the Azzurri.
There were also plenty of similar ones in the domestic media back home in Italy. However, a series of unconvincing results, including last in Belfast, has meant the knives are now out for the 53-year-old former Fiorentina coach.
There have already been calls for his head but, as everyone is well aware, at this time of year there are very few men who are available to replace him. So it would appear Italy are stuck with him for a little while longer.
The top of the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 have a very unfamiliar look about them after some strange results during the first few weeks of the season. Who would have thought that it would be Mainz and Rennes leading the way? Certainly not me.
Taking Germany first, I am sure some people will recall that I was expecting Bayern Munich to comfortably defend their title. Well, it hasn't worked out that way.
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Hi, I'm Phil Minshull. I've lived in Spain since 1997 and covered Spanish football since the first day I got here. My blog aims to provide some insight into what's happening in La Liga, and there is much more to it than only Real and Barcelona, as well as elsewhere around Europe.
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