In just over three weeks time, the announcement of European Footballer of the Year will be made, with Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Barça’s Lionel Messi the front-runners competing for the prestigious Ballon D’Or prize.
Also in the running are Iker Casillas, Xavi and Fernando Torres, but the real battle for supremacy in being waged by the United and Blaugrana front-men.
Messi has claimed that either Xavi or Sergio Kun Aguero should take the award from the 30-man shortlist, while Ronaldo has plumped for himself as the most deserving nominee.
Now, Barcelona’s French forward Thierry Henry has thrown his support behind his 21-year-old club colleague for the honour and hailed him as the ‘best’ player on the continent, and indeed, in the world.
The former Arsenal captain, who finished third in the Ballon D’Or pecking order in 2006 behind Italian duo Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluigi Buffon, told the press: “Messi is the best. What he does is from another world.
“He is exceptional.
“After watching Arsenal against Manchester United, I insist Cristiano Ronaldo is one thing and Messi is another.
“There is no comparison. Messi deserves to win the Ballon d’Or this year.”
Manchester United front man Cristiano Ronaldo has won the 2007/2008 ESM Golden Shoe, after scoring and unprecedented 31 goals in the Premiership; Real Mallorca player Dani Guiza finished second with 27 goals.
Ajax Amsterdam player Klaas Jan Huntelaar finished third with 33 goals, which average 49.5 (each goal at the Eredivisie has a value of 1.5 points). This means that, even though Huntelaar scored more goals than Cristiano (31) and Guiza (27), he finished third for each goal scored at the Premier League and at the Spanish Liga has a value of 2 points.
The same happens for the German Bubdesliga, the Italian Serie A and the French Ligue 1.Something similar happens at the Welsh League too, for Rhys Griffiths scored 40 goals, but they value just one point. Fernando Torres (Liverpool) and Luis Fabiano (Sevilla) finished fourth with 24 goals each, which gives them 48 points.
The complete list of the players qualified for the “Golden Shoe” are below.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Sir Alex Ferguson have scooped more awards for Manchester United’s Premier League title win.
Ronaldo has been named Barclays Player of the Season and winner of the Golden Boot award while boss Ferguson has been named Manager of the Season.
It is the second campaign in succession that Ronaldo, 23, has won the Player of the Season accolade.
His 31 league goals won him the Golden Boot while Ferguson, 66, picked up the top boss award for the eighth time.
Ferguson has won 10 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, two Scottish leagues and two European titles during his hugely successful spells with Manchester United and Aberdeen.
Ronaldo has reached a level unmatched in the Premier League
Ronaldo’s final total represents the first time a player has scored more than 30 goals in a season since Alan Shearer’s 31-goal haul for Blackburn Rovers 12 years ago.
In addition to his award, Ronaldo will receive £1,000 for every goal scored to be donated to a charity of his choice.
The decision was made by the Barclays Awards Panel, which includes representatives from football’s governing bodies, the media and fans.
United will be aiming for a Double when they face Chelsea in the Uefa Champions League final in Moscow on 21 May.
The undoubted best player in the world at the moment, Cristiano Ronaldo believes he could score 50 goals for Manchester United next season after striking 41 times during his side’s current Premiership season.
Ronaldo’s first half penalty against Wigan on Sunday helped United win the English title for the 10th time in the last 16 years, and took his league tally to 31 - equalling Alan Shearer’s Premier League record for a 38-game season.
The Portugal star’s fantastic haul this term, boosted by another 10 in the Champions League and FA Cup, has played a massive role in United’s title success and their Champions League final appearance.
It is even more unbelievable considering Ronaldo often plays as a winger rather than a striker but he sees no reason why he can’t reach a half century of goals next year.
“Fifty? I don’t know. I’ll try my best. I don’t look for goals, I look to play well and if the goals are coming, it’s good,” he explained to MUTV
“I think I’ve not just improved this season; I try to improve every year. I’m better now than five years ago.
“I think at the right club, playing with the right players, you learn all the time. This season has been good for me because I’ve scored many goals and the team have played fantastically to win the Premier League.”
United’s victory at the JJB Stadium was part of a fantastic day for Ronaldo, who was voted the club’s Player of the Year by their fans and his team-mates at an awards ceremony at Old Trafford later on Sunday, along with scooping the Fans player of the year, his stunning free-kick against Portsmouth was also voted the club’s goal of the season.
Ronaldo admitted the feeling when the final whistle confirmed United as champions was unforgettable.
“Sometimes you don’t have the words to say what it feels like to be a champion. It’s amazing,” he said.
“I would have preferred it if it was at Old Trafford because the atmosphere would have been brilliant but we won at the JJB and it’s very good to be champions.”
With the title retained, Ronaldo is focused on winning the Champions League for the first time. United have pipped Chelsea in the league and now face Avram Grant’s side in Moscow on May 21.
Ronaldo knows United have the momentum after their domestic success and he can’t wait for his first appearance in Europe’s showpiece match.
“It’s going to be fantastic if we win the Champions League. The feeling is going to be amazing if we win,” he said.
“In the final you never know, it is 50-50. I’m very happy and proud to play in the final, this is my first time.
“I feel very excited, the lads have belief and it is a great opportunity for all of the players. The lads want to win and of course I want to win as well.
“We have a great opportunity. Why not? I’m sure in this game that if you have the opportunity to win, you win.”
Cristiano Ronaldo won the treble at United’s end of season awards, just hours after the Reds wrapped up the Barclays Premier League title with a thrilling win at Wigan.Victory at the JJB Stadium made for an electric atmosphere at the Old Trafford party, where individual players at senior, reserve and academy level were rewarded for their efforts.
Ronaldo retained the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year gongs - and added the Goal of the Season award to his collection.
The Portuguese winger actually occupied the top two spots in the Goal of the Season award, taking first place with his stunning free kick against Portsmouth and second for his impudent backheel against Aston Villa.
The treble completes a remarkable campaign for Ronaldo, who earlier this month retained the PFA and Football Writers’ Player of the Season awards for his exertions.
The club’s other awards were won by Richard Eckersley - the Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year - and striker Danny Welbeck, who was named the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year.
Manchester United FC forward Cristiano Ronaldo took a giant stride towards winning the ESM Golden Shoe by scoring two more goals against West Ham United FC on Saturday. The Portuguese international struck twice in the opening 24 minutes at Old Trafford to set up a 4-1 victory that moved Sir Alex Ferguson’s team to within touching distance of the Premier League title.
With his closest challenger Klaas Jan Huntelaar out of contention having already completed the season with AFC Ajax, and neither Emmanuel Adebayor nor Luis Fabiano registering at the weekend, Ronaldo appears certain to add another personal award to his Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year accolade. “It is wonderful to score so many times,” said the 23-year-old, who can equal the Premier League record of 31 held by Alan Shearer by scoring once in the final game at Wigan Athletic FC next Sunday. “I have to thank my team-mates as they give me great passes. If they give me an opportunity, I’m confident I can score.”
RCD Mallorca striker Daniel Güiza has an outside chance of pipping Ronaldo after the 27-year-old climbed to fourth in the rankings with a double against Athletic Club Bilbao, leaving him six goals shy of the leader with three Primera División matches remaining. Liverpool FC’s Fernando Torres joins his fellow Spaniard in the top six after notching his 23rd goal of the campaign to clinch a 1-0 win over Manchester City FC, while Roque Santa Cruz took his tally to 19 with a brace for Blackburn Rovers against Derby County FC.
ESM Golden Shoe standings: 28 April
Capped players eligible for EURO finals in bold
Pos Player Club/National team Gls Val Pts
1 Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United FC / Portugal 30 2 60
2 Klaas Jan Huntelaar* AFC Ajax / Netherlands 33 1.5 49.5
3 Daniel Güiza RCD Mallorca / Spain 24 2 48
3 Emmanuel Adebayor Arsenal FC / Togo 24 2 48
5 Luis Fabiano Sevilla FC / Brazil 23 2 46
5 Fernando Torres Liverpool FC / Spain 23 2 46
7 Luca Toni FC Bayern München / Italy 21 2 42
8 Rhys Griffiths* Llanelli AFC / Wales 40 1 40
9 Marco Borriello Genoa CFC / Italy 19 2 38
9 Karim Benzema Olympique Lyonnais / France 19 2 38
9 David Trezeguet Juventus / France 19 2 38
9 Roque Santa Cruz Blackburn Rovers FC / Paraguay 19 2 38
13 Alessandro Del Piero Juventus / Italy 18 2 36
13 Lisandro López FC Porto / Argentina 24 1.5 36
13 Scott McDonald Celtic FC / Australia 24 1.5 36
16 Hakan Yakin BSC Young Boys / Switzerland 23 1.5 34.5
17 Raúl González Real Madrid CF / Spain 17 2 34
17 Adrian Mutu ACF Fiorentina / Italy 17 2 34
Only the leading five countries (Spain, Italy, Germany, France and England) on the UEFA Ranking have two as their multiplier. This is to emphasise the difference in (international) performance level between the clubs from those countries and those from the other countries.
A player cannot first play in a summer league (eg Norway) and then in a winter league (eg Spain) and combine the points total for each season.
Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the Football Writers’ Association footballer of the year for the second consecutive year.
The Portugal winger becomes only the second player - after Thierry Henry in 2004 - to retain the title.
And it follows the 23-year-old’s PFA player of the year award on Sunday, which he also claimed last season.
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres and Portsmouth keeper David James finished second and third respectively.
Ronaldo’s most recent award consolidates his position as the most highly-rated player in the English game.
“To score 38 goals in a season - so far - is an astonishing feat for a winger,” said FWA chairman Paul Hetherington.
“He did not exactly get 100% of the vote, but from the moment voting started he moved to the front and stayed there.
“Given his age, he has the potential and ability to dominate this award for years in an unprecedented way.”
PREVIOUS PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
C Ronaldo (Man Utd) - 2007
Thierry Henry (Arsenal) - 2006
Frank Lampard (Chelsea) - 2005
Thierry Henry (Arsenal) - 2004
Thierry Henry (Arsenal) - 2003
Robert Pires (Arsenal) - 2002
T Sheringham (Man Utd) - 2001
Roy Keane (Man Utd) - 2000
Ronaldo has been in inspirational form for United, who are on course for a Premier League and Champions League double, with only Chelsea challenging them on both fronts.
United are top of the league table from the Blues on goal difference with two matches remaining.
And the sides will also meet in the Champions League final in Moscow on 21 May.
Blackpool winger Stanley Matthews won the first Footballer of the Year award in 1948.
Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has been voted Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association.
The 23-year-old Portugal international - who last week was named the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year - topped the poll of journalists ahead of Liverpool striker Fernando Torres and Portsmouth goalkeeper David James.
It is the second season in succession Ronaldo has received the accolade, now in its 61st year. Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry was the last man to collect the FWA award twice in a row, from 2003 and 2004.
Chairman of the FWA, Paul Hetherington, said: “Ronaldo’s award is no surprise after his brilliant form this season and incredible goal-scoring record - 38 at the moment -and he is, of course, essentially a winger.
“Cristiano was an overwhelming winner and, given his age, he has the potential and ability to dominate this award for years in an unprecedented way.”
Ronaldo - who has helped take United to within touching distance of the Barclays Premier League title as well as the Champions League final in Moscow - will receive his award at the FWA’s gala dinner at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on May 15.
In just over three weeks time, the announcement of European Footballer of the Year will be made, with Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Barça’s Lionel Messi the front-runners competing for the prestigious Ballon D’Or prize.
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