The best football players of 2017
FIFA has crunched the numbers and the results are in. The governing body for this popular sport has announced that Cristiano Ronaldo is its choice for World Football Player of the Year. The second player to have been awarded the prize since FIFA split away from the prestigious Ballon d’Or (Golden Ball) trophy.
There has been some confusion over the award that Ronaldo has actually won. FIFA worked in partnership with the Ballon d’Or award for six years from 2010. During this time the trophy was known as the FIFA Ballon d’Or and was won by Ronaldo himself twice, in 2013 and 2014. Lionel Messi was the only player who won the award more times than Ronaldo, scooping the prize an amazing four times while it was in existence. This means that the glory was shared by only these two men over the years.
However, things have now changed and FIFA has split from the Ballon d’Or. One thing that hasn’t changed is the winners. Messi found himself in second position behind Ronaldo at this year’s ceremony, exactly the same position that he occupied the two times that Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or. The two players’ rivalry has become the stuff of legend both in Spain, where the two play for the El Clasico rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona and at international tournaments such as the World Cup. Ronaldo’s ego, in particular, seems to know few bounds and it’s almost certain that this year’s win will have inflated it further.
David Hjelmström
2017-11-08 14:16
