Manchester United and Portuguese winger, Cristiano Ronaldo, was named 2008′s FIFA Player of the Year, in Zurich on Monday, at the FIFA Player’s Gala. This award is one of many that Ronaldo has racked up in his past few seasons at Manchester, inclunding the Ballon D’ Or he picked up in December. He won these awards thanks to the amazing season he had last year, where he lifted his club to European and English glory with 42 goals in all competitions.
Ronaldo is the first player to play for a club in England to win the accolade, since the trophy’s induction in 1991. “This is not the end.” Ronaldo told reporters after winning the award. “It is my ambition that has brought me here, and I will not lose that ambition.” He won the prestigious award, by topping a poll of national team coaches and captains, with Argentina forward Lionel Messi coming second. Liverpool’s Spanish striker Fernando Torres was third in the polls. “This is a prize that has always been an ambition of mine ever since I started playing football,†Ronaldo said. “But when I started at Sporting Lisbon six years ago I never imagined it would come so quickly.”
Indeed, last year’s season was nothing short of amazing. Ronaldo was able to win almost every individual and team award possible. His list of awards from the 07-08 season are as follows:
- PFA Players’ Player of the Year: 2007–08
- PFA Fans’ Player of the Year:2007–08
- PFA Premier League Team of the Year: 2007–08
- FWA Footballer of the Year: 2007–08
- Barclays Player of the Season: 2007–08
- Barclays Player of the Month: January 2008, March 2008
- Barclays Golden Boot: 2007–08
- Barclays Merit Award: 2007–08
- European Golden Shoe: 2007–08
- UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2007–08
- UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2007–08
- FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2007–08
- Ballon d’Or: 2008
- FIFA World Player of the Year: 2008
Ronaldo gave his club manager, Sir Alex Ferguson thanks after being handed the trophy by all-time great, Pele, by saying, “It was a great season for my club and the coach was important for me because I learnt a lot from him. He has immense experience. You know a good player could never make it without a great coach. It’s been a privilege to play under him.†Be it raw talent, or good coaching, Ronaldo undoubtedely deserved the 2008 FIFA Player of the Year. So, after one of the greatest individual season’s of all time, Ronaldo can join the elite from the past two decades, after winning the coveted trophy. Here is the list of previous FIFA World Players of the Year:
1991: Lothar Matthaeus (Germany)
1992: Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1993: Roberto Baggio (Italy)
1994: Romario (Brazil)
1995: George Weah (Liberia)
1996: Ronaldo (Brazil)
1997: Ronaldo (Brazil)
1998: Zinedine Zidane (France)
1999: Rivaldo (Brazil)
2000: Zinedine Zidane (France)
2001: Luis Figo (Portugal)
2002: Ronaldo (Brazil)
2003: Zinedine Zidane (France)
2004: Ronaldinho (Brazil)
2005: Ronaldinho (Brazil)
2006: Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
2007: Kaka (Brazil)
[...] 1. And Soccer Equipment Reviews winner of the 2008 Soccer Cleat of the Year is the… Nike Mercurial Vapor IV! Nike may have succeeded in creating the best cleat collections of all time with its Mercurial Vapor collection. The cleats have always been the most modern cleats at the time of its release, and nothing was different when their latest model, the Mercurial Vapor IV’s were released. The Vapor’s were released as the lightest soccer cleats in the world, weighing a few ounces lighter than other cleats at the time. The cleats have a smooth lace cover, which helps create the perfect image of a sleek, modern cleat. Nike’s cleat actually looks aerodynamic, making soccer players salivate even more over the cleat. The Nike Mercurial Vapor IV is worn by Cristiano Ronaldo, recently crowned FIFA Player of the Year. [...]