Cristiano Ronaldo, whose 42 goals last season helped Manchester United secure Champions League and Premier League titles, today won the Ballon d’Or award for soccer’s best player.
Ronaldo, who was the runner-up to AC Milan’s Kaka last year, secured 446 of a maximum 480 points to become the 53rd winner of the Ballon d’Or, or “Golden Ball,” which was opened up to players based in any country from last year. Previously, the winner was known as the European footballer of the year.
Seventy seven writers voted Ronaldo as their No. 1 player of the year and he was the only player to appear on all 96 ballots. Each voter names five players, awarding five points to their first choice and one point to their fifth. Messi polled 281 points, with Torres third at 179.
Ronaldo, who joined United from Sporting Lisbon for 12.2 million pounds ($18.3 million) in 2003, is also on a 23-man shortlist for the player of the year award of soccer’s ruling body FIFA. That will be announced Jan. 12 in Zurich.
He stayed at United, for which he has scored 101 goals in 256 matches, after the club refused to entertain interest from Real Madrid in the off-season. United complained to FIFA that Madrid was attempting to unsettle Ronaldo even though he wasn’t for sale. Ronaldo had spoken of a potential switch to the Spanish team as his “dream” move.
United is already assured of a spot in the knockout rounds of Europe’s elite club competition this season and is third in the Premier League. Ronaldo and his United teammates are set to compete in FIFA’s Club World Cup this month in Japan.
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