He has made the initial short list of 25, which also contains English based players like Geremi, Sailf Diao, Lauren and El Hadji Diouf.
The final shortlist of three will be announced on Christmas day with the eventual winner revealed in April next year.
The chances of Lua Lua actually winning the award must be fairly limited, as occasional Premiership appearances are unlikely to be rated as highly as the World Cup performances of the likes of Diouf.