Ronaldo coasts to Ballon d’Or
By: Rob | December 2nd, 2008
Cristiano Ronaldo has been confirmed as winner of France Football’s coveted Ballon d’Or for 2008. The Manchester United winger, who finished second last year behind AC Milan’s Kaká, coasted to a landslide victory. Liverpool’s Fernando Torres was third, just behind Barcelona’s Leo Messi.
It isn’t in itself a surprising result, that is exactly the trio that was expected – and indeed, France Football accidently let the cat out of the bag yesterday. But Ronaldo won but such an incredible landslide, may be a slight surprise. Or perhaps not.
96 Football Writers vote, and on their ballot they pick five players in order from best to worst who they think are worthy of the prize. Ronaldo was the only player to feature on every single one of the ballots, and out of a possible 480 points polled an incredible 446. Messi was some way behind on 276, while Torres was well behind on 165.
Ronaldo has had a staggeringly good season. He certainly is not everybody’s cup of tea, which is perhaps why the landslide is a mild surprise. But he has been rewarded for guiding Manchester United to a Prem title and a Champions League title, via the 42 goals he scored last season. He didn’t have a wonderful Euro’s but then, other than the final, Torres was arguably outshone by his teammate David Villa there anyway.
The 23 year old won the Football Writers Player of the Year in the Prem last season, as well as taking the Fifpro award (awarded by his fellow Pro’s), and is likely to take the World Footballer of the Year crown.
He’s the first English based player to win the Ballon d’or since Michael Owen was the bane of defenders all round Europe in the 2001 UEFA Cup.
Still, Ronaldo probably still has not won everyone over. There’s still that messy Madrid business from the summer, the diving, and there just being something about him that people aren’t sure they like. But there is absolutely no denying he has had one of those untouchable season’s, and very much deserves the prize. Congrautulations C-Ron, and thanks for the entertainment. All 42 goals below.
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Tags: AC Milan, Barcelona, Cristiano Ronaldo, El Nino, EPL News, Euro 2008, Kaka, Liverpool, Manchester United, Messi, POrtugal, Prem, Torres, WinnerSubscribe
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Comments
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there just being something about him that people aren’t sure they like.
Erm, or his stunning ability to disappear in big games. Average performance in the final, missed penalty, rubbish against Barca, this summer at the Euros only confirmed it. There’s nothing wrong with that, having a reliable hitman in “small” games is important, but he doesn’t rise to the occasion like the world’s best player should.
Posted from
United States
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Goal in the champ league final, lead the champion league in scoring, yea I think he disappears too!
Posted from
United States -
i agree with you alessio.his last year record is fantastic,but i just cant stand the guy.everything he does,from showboating,diving,the way he looks,sends me one message:that he thinks hes the center of universe.
Posted from
United States -
Dumitru: “he thinks hes the center of universe”
Whatever could give you that impression.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSNv3hupVIQ
Certainly not the part where he says he is the greatest football player ever?
Posted from
United States -
The dissapearing thing is an interesting one – its been applied to pretty much any big name player over the last ten years, and there are some acute reasons why.
In the big games, you are likely playing against the best defenders in the world. So automatically, you have to be at the top of your game, especially if they are at the top of theirs.
Also, in a big game like, say Barca in the CL Semi – Ronaldo had to put up with having two players mark him. Thats pretty difficult for any player to cope with, but it did lead to Paul Scholes goal.
Ronaldo has also scored against evevery side in the Prem, including Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. So there isn’t really a suggestion that he bottles it there.
For his country is perhaps a different matter, he isn’t the centre point as he is at United.
Posted from
United States -
Also, in a big game like, say Barca in the CL Semi – Ronaldo had to put up with having two players mark him. Thats pretty difficult for any player to cope with, but it did lead to Paul Scholes goal.
I understand that, but I still disagree. As for the “wingers” can’t take hold of the game argument, there’s been 2 left-wingers in the last 10 years to win, Luis Figo and Pavel Nedved. Watch Nedved’s performance (I can’t comment on Figo’s) in the run up to the 2003 CL final. He deserved it. Many Juventini (myself included) think we would have won that final had it not been for his suspension.
Posted from
United States -
Alessio, Ronaldo scored in the final, gave a great pass to Tevez some five minutes later (Tevez missed, but that should have been an a goal, starting with Rooney’s 60-odd yard pass), and spent the first half wrecking Essien at left back. In the second half he was less influential, but he still got Brown and Evra involved very often, and was consistently dangerous.
I might be wrong, but I believe the only team he played twice or more against last season and didn’t score against was Barcelona. Hardly an obvious “big-game bottler” or “flat-track bully”. Sure, he gets three against Derby or Newcastle and people dismiss it (peh, Derby, peh, Newcastle) quite rightly. But he scored the winners against Lyon and Roma as well as the opener against Chelsea in the Champions’ League, so he actually does get goals that count and are “important” as well.
Posted from
China -
cristiano ronaldo is faecal
Posted from
United States
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