Ronaldo earns FifPro award

United ace named World Footballer of Year by peers

By Rob Parrish and Lucas Brown   Last updated: 27th October 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Ronaldo earns FifPro award

Ronaldo: FifPro award winner

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Manchester United midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the 2007/08 FifPro World Footballer of the Year.

The Portugal international was integral to the Red Devils' success last season, scoring 42 goals in all competitions as the Old Trafford outfit lifted the Premier League and UEFA Champions League trophies.

FifPro is the world-wide umbrella organisation for all professional footballers, with players from more than 40 associations involved in the voting process.

Ronaldo was part of the FifPro XI and held off the likes of Lionel Messi, Fernando Torres, Xavi and United team-mate Rio Ferdinand to claim the individual accolade.

Fellow Premier League stars John Terry and Steven Gerrard were also voted into the all-star XI by their colleagues.

Amazing

The prodigiously gifted ace was part of the 2006/07 FifPro team, but missed out on the main award as AC Milan's Brazil international Kaka took the honour.

He told the FifPro official website: "To be recognised by my fellow professional players worldwide coming from over 50,000 players is amazing.

"I would like to thank my team-mates and coaches and everyone involved at Manchester 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."

Ronaldo is among the leading contenders for the Ballon d'Or and Fifa World Player of the Year awards, and has already stated he feels he 'deserves' both honours.

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