AC Milan's Kaka has been crowned as Fifa's world player of the year.
Brazilian beats off challenge from Messi and Ronaldo
AC Milan's Kaka has been crowned as Fifa's world player of the year.
The Brazilian midfielder beat off competition from Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi to take the prize.
Kaka has had a glittering year for AC Milan, during which they won the
Champions League, and has won the Ballon d'Or award for the European footballer of the year, FIFPro's world player of the year voted by fellow professionals and World Soccer's player of the year.
Messi came second, and Portuguese winger Ronaldo was in third place.
Special night
Kaka said: "Tonight is a really special night for me - it was a dream for me just to play for Sao Paulo and one game for Brazil. But the Bible says God can give you more than you even ask for."
Ronaldo said he was hugely honoured to be short-listed for the award -
which has never been won by a Premier League player.
He added: "I was so pleased when I got nominated. The first thing I did was
tell the people closest to me.
"I called my mother and told her, and then my brother and my sister.
Real honour
"It's a real honour for me to be considered one of the three best players in
the world."
The award is voted on by all national team managers and captains, and this
year's shortlist contains three young players nominated for the first time.
Kaka added: "It shows that this is a new era in football, a new cycle is
starting.
"They were great players before, but now the new players are starting to make
history."
Improving
Messi added: "To be chosen among the top three when I am so
young is a great honour, and I just want to keep improving and working hard on
the pitch."
Pele was given the Fifa presidential award.
"My father told me it was a gift from God to play football," said Pele after
picking up the award.
In the women's player of the year, Brazil's Marta won the award for the second
year running - beating Germany's World Cup-winning captain Birgit Prinz, three times a former award winner, and another Brazilian Cristiane.
