Kaka Named FIFA Player of the Year
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 9:38 pm
Brazilian Midfielder Almost Completes Sweep Of Awards
Brazil midfielder Kaka completed a virtual sweep of annual awards Monday by winning FIFA's World Player of the Year.
The 25-year-old Milan playmaker received 1,047 points, ahead of with Messi with 504 and Cristiano Ronaldo with 426 in a vote by national team captains and managers. The three were picked as finalists from a list of 30 candidates.
For Kaka, it is the third accolade this year. He also won European soccer's Golden Ball and World Soccer magazine's player of the year award.
"Tonight is a really special night for me," Kaka said after being handed the trophy.
Before the award ceremony at Zurich's opera house, Kaka owed his success this year to his club. Kaka led Milan to a 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League final last season. On Sunday, he scored one goal and set up two for Filippo Inzaghi as Milan won its record fourth world club title by beating Argentina's Boca Juniors 4-2.
Pele won the President's Award. The Fair Play prize went to FC Barcelona for donating space on its jersey to advertise the U.N. children's fund UNICEF.
Messi, who tore a thigh muscle over the weekend when Barcelona beat Valencia 3-0, memorably showed his skills when he scored against Getafe in April after picking up the ball in his own half and going past four opposition players before sliding the ball past the goalkeeper.
The feat drew comparisons with Diego Maradona's second goal in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal match against England, voted the best the greatest goal in FIFA World Cup history in 2002.
Asked about being compared with the Argentine legend, Messi said, "I just want to ... become a better player and hope to win a couple of titles with a good team, and that's about it."
Ronaldo would have been the first winner from an English club. The Manchester United player is currently tied at the top of the Premier League's scoring list (9 goals) with Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor and Everton's Ayegbeni Yakubu.
The 22-year-old Portuguese was Manchester United's top scorer last season, helping the club win its first Premier League title in four years.
Ronaldo, who signed a new five-year contract with United this summer, told reporters he would like to play in the Spanish league one day.
"I think it's a fantastic league, a very attractive league where you play a beautiful game," he said. "Sometimes I want something and it's not possible."
Source: ESPN