Johannesburg, Nov 26 - Bayern Munich player Franck Ribery has said that he is confident of winning the World Player of the Year award because he made the difference for his team and set defences on fire.

According to Sport24, the French winger expressed that he had no fear and was confident as he had done all that he had to, adding that he may not have scored in every match but he set the defences on fire.

The 30-year-old Ribery, who helped Bayern to win an unprecedented Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup treble last season, was crowned UEFA Best Player in Europe in August and is in contention for FIFA's worldwide Ballon d'Or award, the report said.

Asked if he feared competition from 2008 winner Cristiano Ronaldo after the forward scored all Portugal's goals in their 4-2 aggregate win over Sweden in the World Cup playoffs, Ribery said not at all, honestly, according to the report.

FIFA will announce a three-man shortlist from the candidates, who also include four-times winner Lionel Messi, Barcelona's Andres Iniesta and Ronaldo's Real Madrid team mate Gareth Bale, early next month, the report added.

The winner will be announced on Jan. 13, the report mentioned. (ANI)