Tim Cahill has become the first Everton player for 18 years to be nominated for the European footballer of the year award.The Aussie star is among 50 players announced by France Football magazine for the prestigious trophy, the Ballon d´Or. Neville Southall was the last Evertonian to be named in the list back in 1988, when he finished 20th behind Marco van Basten, although Gary Lineker and Wayne Rooney were also at Goodison Park for part of the years they were in contention for the award.Manager David Moyes has hailed the inclusion of the 27-year-old Australia international in the list of nominees, saying: "It´s a fabulous achievement. All credit to Tim for the way that he has been playing and he has returned to top form this season. He has started the season really well for us."
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