Cristiano Ronaldo tonight became the first Premier League star to be named FIFA's world player of the year.

The Manchester United and Portugal winger beat AC Milan's Kaka, Liverpool's Fernando Torres and Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Xavi to take the award at a star-studded gala in Zurich. It caps a stunning year for the 23-year-old in which he played the starring role as United won the Premier League, Champions League and Club World Cup. His 31 league goals in the 2008-09 season, and 42 in total, won him the European Golden Shoe as the continent's top scorer. He was also awarded the Ballon d'Or by France Football magazine, and named FIFPro's player of the year.

Premier League players have finished as runner-up before, David Beckham and Thierry Henry both did so twice while Frank Lampard also came second two years ago but Ronaldo becomes the first to take the top prize. Ronaldo dedicated the award to his family but also paid tribute to influence of United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

He said: "It's a dream come true for me to get this award and I would like to dedicate this to my family. But it's also true that the manager always has an important role to play. It was a great season for me and for my club, and the coach was important for me because I learned a lot for him. His experience over so many years is of paramount importance, it's a privilege to have such a great club manager."

Messi finished in second place and Torres came third ahead of fourth-placed Kaka and Xavi.

Full result of votes:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo: 935
2. Lionel Messi: 678
3. Fernando Torres: 203
4. Kaka: 183
5. Xavi: 155

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Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo has won the 2008 Ballon d'Or award ahead of Lionel Messi and Fernando Torres.

Ronaldo was the clear favourite to land the prestigious prize after a remarkable year at Old Trafford. The powerful attacker netted 42 goals last season as the Red Devils claimed Premier League and UEFA Champions League glory. His summer was overshadowed by Real Madrid's courting of the 23-year-old, while he missed the start of the new term with an ankle injury. But Ronaldo has demonstrated his impressive ability in recent weeks, netting nine times since September.

Ronaldo finished runner-up to Brazilian forward Kaka in 2007 and overcame strong competition this time around from Barcelona playmaker Messi - who finished second - and third placed Liverpool star Torres. He is already FIFPro World Player of the Year and also took the top prizes from the Professional Footballers' Association and the Football Writers last term.

The Portugal winger is the first United player to win the Ballon d'Or since George Best in 1968 and the first from his country since Luis Figo in 2000. SkySports


Full results;

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Manchester United), 446 pts
2. Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona), 281 pts
3. Fernando Torres (Spain, Liverpool), 179 pts
4. Iker Casillas (Spain, Real Madrid), 133 pts
5. Xavi (Spain, Barcelona), 97 pts
6. Andrei Arshavin (Russia, Zenit St Petersburg), 64 pts
7. David Villa (Spain, Valencia), 55 pts
8. Kaka (Brazil, AC Milan), 31 pts
9. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden, Inter Milan), 30 pts
10. Steven Gerrard (England, Liverpool), 28 pts
11. Marcos Senna (Spain, Villarreal), 16 pts.
12. Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo, Arsenal), 12 pts.
13. Wayne Rooney (England, Manchester United), 11 pts.
14. Sergio Aguero (Argentina, Atletico Madrid), 10 pts.
15. Frank Lampard (England, Chelsea), 8 pts.
16. Franck Ribery (France, Bayern Munich), 7 pts.
17. Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon, Barcelona), 6 pts.
18. Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, Juventus), 5 pts.
19. Michael Ballack (Germany, Chelsea), Cesc Fabregas (Spain, Arsenal), 4 pts.
20. Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast, Chelsea), Sergio Ramos (Spain, Real Madrid), Nemanja Vidic (Serbia, Manchester United), 3 pts.
21. Edwin van der Sar (Netherlands, Manchester United), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands, Real Madrid), 2 pts.

• No votes : Karim Benzema (Lyon), Pepe (Real Madrid), Luca Toni (Bayern Munich), Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid), and Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow).

Last 10 Ballon D'Or Winners;

• 1998 - Zinedine Zidane
• 1999 - Rivaldo
• 2000 - Luis Figo
• 2001 - Michael Owen
• 2002 - Ronaldo
• 2003 - Pavel Nedved
• 2004 - Andrei Shevchenko
• 2005 - Ronaldinho
• 2006 - Fabio Cannavaro
• 2007 - Kaka

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Rio Ferdinand received a birthday surprise he will not forget in a hurry when his boyhood hero Diego Maradona visited Manchester United's training ground and presented him with a signed shirt.

"To be able to shake his hand, get a cuddle of him and a picture, it made my birthday," said the defender, who turned 30 last Friday.

Ferdinand collected videos of Maradona while growing up and was not alone in being awestruck by Argentina's new coach.

"We were like schoolkids around a star coming to school," he said. "He came and watched us train and I think the gaffer would probably like him to come every day the way he raised standards in training. Everyone was trying to impress him. I hope he will go back to Argentina and say he's seen a great player - Rio Ferdinand."

That was tongue in cheek but there was a serious purpose to Maradona's visit. He met United's Argentina striker Carlos Tevez and went to Liverpool to see Javier Mascherano. Guardian

See more photo here

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See all the 42 goals scored by Cristiano Ronaldo last season (07/08). I don't think he can tally his record this season, but he still one of the best player in the world.. just see how the winger can score many goals than the striker.. not just a goal, but many beautiful goal.. just enjoy

With all this glorious goals, he received Golden Boot Award for both Premier League and Champions League for season 07/08

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Five funny pictures of football that always make me laugh.. and laugh again

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Who's the Glorious Footballer in Manchester United's history wearing the glorious jersey number 7? Here they are...

Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed for £12.24 million after the 2002–03 season. He requested the number 28 (his number at Sporting), as he did not want the pressure of living up to the expectation linked to the number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by team legends like Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham.

"After I joined, the manager asked me what number I'd like. I said 28. But Ferguson said 'No, you're going to have No. 7,' and the famous shirt was an extra source of motivation. I was forced to live up to such an honour."

Johan Cruijff said in an interview on 2 April 2008,

"Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United.

David Beckham

Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team début in 1992 aged 17. During his time there, United won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons. While at Madrid, Beckham became the first British footballer to play 100 Champions League matches. In his final season, Real clinched the 2006–07 La Liga championship title—Beckham's only major trophy with the club—in the final game of the season on 17 June. In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid and sign a five-year contract with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy.


Eric Cantona

Cantona eventually signed for United on 26 November 1992, and made his first appearance against Benfica in Lisbon, in a friendly match to mark the 50th birthday of Eusébio. He made his competitive debut as a second half substitute against Manchester City at Old Trafford, on 6 December 1992. United won 2-1, though Cantona made little impact that day.


Brian Robson

Robson moved to United for a British record transfer fee of £1.5 million on 1 October 1981 and signed the contract on the Old Trafford pitch two days later. The record was not broken for six years, when Liverpool paid £1.9 million for Newcastle striker Peter Beardsley in the summer of 1987. Robson made his United debut on 7 October 1981 in a 1–0 defeat away at Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup. His league debut for his new club came three days later, in a goalless draw against Manchester City at Maine Road.


George Best

Best made his Manchester United debut, aged 17, on 14 September 1963 against West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford in a 1-0 victory. Two weeks later Best scored his first goal against Burnley. By the close of the season Best had six goals, and Manchester United finished second, behind champions Liverpool. In his second season, Best and Manchester United claimed the league title.

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Who will be honoured with the title of FIFA World Player for 2008 ? FIFA had announced the names of the nominees and the final decision will be made by the captains and head coaches of the men's and women's national teams.

At the beginning of December, FIFA will announce the names of the three men who have received the most votes and the winners will be revealed at the 18th FIFA World Player Gala at the Zurich Opera House on 12 January 2009.

The lists of 23 candidates for these prestigious awards have been drawn up by football experts from the Football Committee. The following 23 men are in contention for the title of FIFA World Player 2008:

Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo)
Sergio Agüero (Argentina)
Andrei Arshavin (Russia)
Michael Ballack (Germany)
Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)
Iker Casillas (Spain)
Deco (Portugal)
Didier Drogba (Côte d'Ivoire)
Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon)
Cesc Fabregas (Spain)
Steven Gerrard (England)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)
Andrés Iniesta (Spain)
Kaká (Brazil)
Frank Lampard (England)
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Franck Ribéry (France)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
John Terry (England)
Fernando Torres (Spain)
Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands)
David Villa (Spain)
Xavi (Spain)

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Milan legend Paolo Maldini has won the Facchetti Award, for his fairness and ability to be an example to others on the playing field. Paolo Maldini is one of the few remaining true legends of the game. He has made a stunning 624 appearances for the Milanese club, and scored 29 goals over his time.

The award is held in the honour of the former Inter Milan great Giacinto Facchetti, who sadly lost his battle with cancer at the age of just 64, two years ago. Facchetti was a great of the game, who went on to win four Scudetti and two European cups with the Nerazzurri. He also managed to make 94 appearances for the Italian national team over a 14 year period that included success in the EURO of 1968, and a loss in the World Cup final of 1970.

According to Facchetti’s son Gianfelice, who presented the award on the night, “Maldini is a fair player on the field and has always been an example to others.” Maldini received the Facchetti Award and a check of €10,000 to be devoted to charity by Inter president Massimo Moratti and Gianfelice, who was one of three sons of Giacinto present at the ceremony.

Following the presentation of the award, Gianfelice also announced the creation of a foundation for the study and treatment of cancer, named after his father. Goal

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From my previous entry: FIFPro World XI Award 2008

FIFPro, the world players’ union have announced their World Player of the Year and World XI. Man United’s brilliant Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo has lifted the 2007-2008 title. The award was made to a delighted Ronaldo today in Manchester.

FIFPro’s (Fédération Internationale des Footballeurs Professionels) 57,500 members around the globe cast their votes and Champion’s League winner Cristiano Ronaldo came out on top. He takes over from Milan’s Kaká who has held the title for the last year.

Cristiano Ronaldo commented:

“To be recognized by my fellow professional players worldwide coming from over 50,000 players is amazing. I would like to thank my teammates and coaches and everyone involved at Man United and the national team, as well as my family and friends for their support. Thank you also to FIFPro for this award and for your work in protecting the interests and welfare of players around the world.“

FIFPro members also voted for their team of the year. The side was comprised of a goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders and three forwards.


The FIFPro World XI is:

Goalkeeper – Iker Casillas (Spain/ Real Madrid)

Defenders – Sergio Ramos (Spain/ Real Madrid), John Terry (England/ Chelsea), Carles Puyol (Spain/ Barcelona) and Rio Ferdinand (England/ Manchester United)

Midfielders - Steven Gerrard (England/ Liverpool), Xavi (Spain/ Barcelona) and Ricardo Kaká (Brazil/AC Milan).

Forwards – Lionel Messi (Argentina/ Barcelona), Fernando Torres (Spain/ Liverpool), and Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/ Manchester United)

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The Intro
The Fédération Internationale Des Associations de Footballeurs Professionels, usually known by the abbreviation FIFPro, is a worldwide representative organization for professional football players. At the moment there are 42 national players associations who are member of FIFPro. The World XI team is also included on the video game FIFA series.

The World XI are chosen by the footballers themselves from a list of candidates for each position. The list is generated by the awards committee itself. In 2005, FIFPro launched its inaugural "World XI Player Awards", "World Player of the Year" and "Young Player of the Year" awards.

FIFPro 2007 Results

FIFPro World XI
Goalkeeper
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)

Defenders
Alessandro Nesta (A.C. Milan)
John Terry (Chelsea F.C.)
Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid)
Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona)

Midfielders
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Kaká (A.C. Milan)
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

Forwards
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
Didier Drogba (Chelsea F.C.)
Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona)

World Player of The Year
Kaka (AC Milan)

Young Player of The Year
Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

FIFPro 2008 Shortlist

Click picture to see full image

FIFPro 2008 Results

27th October 2008

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The Intro
The "Ballon d'Or" (French for "Golden Ball," often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award) is an association football award. Presented since 1956 by the French football magazine France Football, it is awarded to the player considered to have performed best over the previous year; the inaugural winner was Blackpool player Stanley Matthews. The current holder of the award, as selected in 2007, is Milan's Kaka (pic)

Prior to 2007, the player had to be a member of a club based within UEFA's jurisdiction in order to qualify for selection; and until 1995 a player also had to be of European nationality to be eligible. The 2007 change in rules saw players from Qatar, the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina named on the shortlist alongside those from European clubs.

Since October 2007, 96 football journalists from around the world have decided the winner from a shortlist of 50 compiled by France Football; prior to this 52 European journalists chose a winner, who needed to play for a European club. Each voter chooses five players from the list of nominees, and awards them between one and five points. The winner is determined by the total number of points; players who finish second and third in the voting are awarded silver and bronze medals.

The Story
Manchester United’s impressive Champions League and Premier League triumph last season has earned four players nominations for the European Footballer of the Year award, organisers announced on Sunday. Wayne Rooney, Nemanja Vidic, Cristiano Ronaldo and goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar all made the shortlist for the Ballon d’Or, with United’s Champions League final rivals Chelsea earning three nominations in Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba.

Spain, who won Euro 2008, is the best represented country with seven players, including Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. Torres, who scored Spain’s winner in the final against Germany, told sports daily L’Equipe:

“Win­ning the Ballon d’Or would be like scaling Mount Everest.” Torres

Last year’s winner Brazilian Kaka also made the list, with this year’s winner to be announced on Dec 2. AFP

The 2008 Nominee
The full list of nominees for Ballon d'Or 2008 as follows:

Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal), Togo.
Sergio Agüero (Atletico Madrid), Argentine.
Andreï Archavine (Zénith Saint-Pétersbourg), Russia.
Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Germany.
Karim Benzema (Lyon), France.
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus Turin), Italy.
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Spain.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Portugal.
Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Ivory Coast.
Samuel Eto'o (FC Barcelone), Cameroon.
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Spain.
Fernando Torres (Liverpool FC), Spain.
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool FC), England.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan), Sweden.
Kaka (Milan AC), Brazil.
Frank Lampard (Chelsea), England.
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelone), Argentina.
Pepe (Real Madrid), Portugal.
Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich), France.
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), England.
Marcos Senna (Villarreal), Spain.
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Spain.
Luca Toni (Bayern Munich), Italy.
Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United), Netherlands.
Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburg SV puis Real Madrid), Netherlands.
Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid), Netherlands.
Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Serbia.
David Villa (Valence CF), Spain.
Xavi (FC Barcelone), Spain.
Youri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscou), Russia.

The Shortlisted
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Portugal.
Fernando Torres (Liverpool FC), Spain.
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelone), Argentina.
Kaka (Milan AC), Brazil.
Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Ivory Coast.

The Winner

2nd December 2008

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