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Hat trick Ronaldo wins world player award for third timePosted: Tuesday December 17, 2002 4:00 PMUpdated: Tuesday December 17, 2002 7:06 PM MADRID (Reuters) -- Ronaldo claimed another first in his remarkable career on Tuesday when he was named World Player of the Year for the third time, just 24 hours after claiming the European player's award. The 26-year-old striker, who also won the FIFA award in 1996 and 1997, was top scorer at the 2002 World Cup, hitting eight goals including two in the final as Brazil beat Germany 2-0. Ronaldo finished ahead of Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn and France midfielder Zinedine Zidane in the voting by national team coaches. Zidane had also been hoping to become the first player to win the award three times after his 1998 and 2000 successes. The delighted Brazilian said: "It's highly satisfying after the years of doubt and injuries. I was worried if I'd even be able to play again but now it's as good as I'd hoped or dreamed it could be." Each coach voted for their three players with five points awarded for first place, three for second and one for third.
Ronaldo won with a total of 387 points as 59 of 148 voting national coaches awarded him first place. Oliver Kahn gained 171 points from 16 first-place votes, while Zidane got 148 points with 18 coaches voting him first. There were four Real Madrid players in the top 10 with Roberto Carlos (fourth, 114 points) and Raul (sixth, 90 points) joining Ronaldo and Zidane. Michael Ballack, who was suspended for the World Cup final, joined his compatriot Kahn in the top 10 as he finished seventh with 82 points. Three players from the English premier league were also in the top 10 -- last year's runner-up David Beckham (eighth 51 points), France striker Thierry Henry (ninth, 38 points) and 2001 European Player of the Year Michael Owen (10th, 34 points). Last year's winner Luis Figo, another player who wears the Real Madrid colors, was 13th with 10 points. Mia Hamm of the United States retained the crown she won last year by taking the women's vote. Triumphant comeback Tuesday's announcement crowns a year of personal and national team success for Ronaldo after a triumphant comeback from four seasons blighted by injury. The gap-toothed "Phenomenon" re-established himself as one of the most effective strikers in the world by leading Brazil to their fifth World Cup triumph in South Korea and Japan. His eight goals were the highest total since West Germany's Gerd Mueller scored 10 in 1970.
That triumph was followed by a controversial 47 million euros (US$48.50 million) transfer to Real Madrid from Inter Milan, the club that had given him so much support and uncomplainingly paid his wages throughout his injury problems. After a few weeks spent losing weight and regaining fitness, Ronaldo proved his World Cup exploits had been no fluke with a spectacular Real Madrid debut. A minute after coming on against Alaves he controlled a high ball on his chest and swept it in, and within 15 minutes he had added a second. In December, he returned to Yokohama to score the opening goal in Real's World Club Cup victory over Paraguay's Olimpia, his first title with his new club. Due to injury, he has played just 17 club games this year compared with 13 for Brazil and has scored more goals -- 11 -- for his country than his clubs. Ronaldo has won a total of five awards this month. His FIFA award for being the world's best player comes the day after France Football handed him the Golden Ball prize for the European Player of the Year for the second time. He was also voted the BBC's Overseas Sports Personality of the Year and won Player of the Year awards from French football magazine Onze and World Soccer magazine. It is the fourth time in the past six years that the same player has won the European and world awards, including Ronaldo himself in 1997. Ronaldo thanks medical team for saving his careerMADRID (Reuters) -- Ronaldo dedicated his third FIFA World Player of the Year award to the medical team which helped him recover from the injury problems that threatened his career. The 26-year-old Brazilian roared back from four years blighted by physical problems to lead Brazil to World Cup glory in South Korea and Japan this year with eight goals. His reward on Tuesday was FIFA's top honor for a player, to add to the European Player of the Year award given to him by France Football on Monday. "There's millions of people I'd like to dedicate the award to," Ronaldo told a news conference in Madrid, where he received the award on Tuesday. "I'd mainly like to thank the medical team that brought me back from two extremely difficult years. That's my doctor Gerard Saillant, the Inter Milan doctor Franco Combi and physiotherapist Nilton Petrone. "I'll also dedicate the award to my family, friends and to everybody." Ronaldo won the FIFA award in 1996 and again the following year but even he doubted his chances of ever receiving it again after a dreadful run of injuries, particularly over the two years before the World Cup. "It's highly satisfying after the years of doubt and injuries," he said. "I was worried if I'd even be able to play again but now it's as good as I'd hoped or dreamed it could be." Ronaldo scoops awards as the 2002 comeback kingMADRID (Reuters) -- Ronaldo completed a clean sweep of football's end-of-year awards when he was named the FIFA 2002 World Player of the Year for the third time on Tuesday. Winner in 1996 and 1997, the Brazilian striker scooped France Football's Ballon d'Or award for the European Footballer of the Year on Monday and was honored last week as World Soccer magazine's player of 2002. In fewer games than most professionals manage to cram into a couple of months of the season, Ronaldo forced his way to the head of the queue for the prestigious awards. In fact Ronaldo's "year" effectively boils down to a sensational month at the World Cup, a sparkling debut for his new club Real Madrid and the opening goal in their World Club Cup victory. It would have been unjust to his fellow professionals to bestow the European and World honors on the 26-year-old from Rio de Janeiro if they were claimed to be a reward for performances over the course of the year. But if it comes down to global impact then there could only be one choice -- the shaven-headed Brazilian known to millions simply as the "Phenomenon." In a fairy-tale ending to three years of injury-plagued misery Ronaldo confirmed his rebirth as a player with a stellar performance on the world's greatest footballing stage in South Korea and Japan. His eight goals in seven games, including a magical double in the 2-0 victory over Germany in the final, marked the difference between Brazil and their rivals in what was one of the most evenly-balanced World Cups in living memory. His match-winning performance allowed him to lay to rest the ghosts of France 98 when he played in the final just hours after suffering a mystery illness in the team hotel. Looking dazed and lethargic he made a negligible contribution as Brazil lost 3-0 to a French side inspired by Zinedine Zidane. Brazil's record-breaking fifth title will be remembered as Ronaldo's World Cup in the same way that their 1970 triumph was associated with his predecessor Pele, whose total of 12 World Cup goals the Phenomenon has now equaled. Explosive pace Ronaldo may not quite have recovered the explosive pace of his year at Barcelona, but it is testament to his skill and natural brilliance that even while not totally fit he was head and shoulders above other strikers in the tournament. It may also be an indication of the rigors of the footballing calendar, that a semi-fit player emerging from three years of career-threatening injury was able to outshine a host of exhausted professionals who arrived at the tournament with up to 60 games under their belts in 12 months. Ronaldo, however, remains perfectly adapted to lead football's highly-competitive food chain. He still has a burst of speed that few can match, a dizzying shimmy that bemuses even the best defenders and a rocket-powered shot that fired him to fame in the mid 1990s. As if his performance in South Korea and Japan was not enough, Ronaldo then became the leading protagonist in the transfer saga of the summer, a tale with more twists than the best Brazilian soap opera. Whether he was anxious to banish the memories of five injury-plagued years at Inter, or was keen to escape the confines of Italian football, or just simply unable to hack the egalitarian regime of coach Hector Cuper, Ronaldo instructed his agents to get him away from the Serie A club. He was, of course, welcomed with open arms by European champions Real Madrid, eager to complete their glittering centenary team with the brightest jewel in world football. Ronaldo's move to Real certainly smacked of ingratitude given that Inter had supported him throughout his odyssey of injuries and continued to pay his reported salary of 4.5 million euros ($4.60 million) without so much as a whisper of complaint. Even after the convoluted transfer was completed -- minutes before the European transfer deadline on August 31 -- Ronaldo continued to hog the headlines as he battled against a series of niggling injuries that delayed his debut for his new club. It was more than a month before he made his first appearance for Real, although true to form he scored with almost his first touch after coming on as a second-half substitute against Alaves and even grabbed another before the 5-2 rout was complete. Winning return Two months later and after just a handful of appearances he made a triumphant return to the Yokohama stadium -- the venue for the World Cup final -- and scored the opening goal in Real's 2-0 win over South American champions Olimpia of Paraguay in the World Club Cup. Ronaldo was named man-of-the-match even though many commentators believed teammate Luis Figo had turned in the better performance. But the Brazilian is a marketing man's dream. He scores his goals in the right places and in front of the right television audiences, his face is recognized in every continent, he collects footballing awards like small change and he hails from the world's most productive football nation. Ronaldo appears to have it all and yet question marks still remain. Is he capable of surviving the rigors of a full season at a club with both European and domestic commitments or will he spend as much time on the treatment table as on the field? Can he actually help Real win the league title, a feat he never managed at Barcelona or Inter, and can he add a missing European Cup winners medal to the Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Cup medals already in his collection. Whatever the doubts about the future, one thing is clear -- Ronaldo is the undisputed comeback king of 2002. Ronaldo factboxMADRID (Reuters) -- Factbox on Brazilian striker Ronaldo, named European Footballer of the Year on Monday. 1976 - Sept 22, born on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. 1988 - Aged 12, signs for his first club, Social Ramos. 1990 - Signs professional terms for Ramos after being rejected by Rio giants Flamengo. 1991 - Moves to second division side Sao Cristovao, scoring 36 goals in 54 games. 1993 - Joins first division Cruzeiro and makes his name in Brazil by scoring 58 times in 60 appearances. 1994 - Aged 17, makes international debut in a 2-1 win over Argentina in March. Included in Brazil's World Cup squad but does not play as the team win the tournament, beating Italy on penalties in the final. In August, signs for PSV Eindhoven for a club record 10.8 million guilders (US$4.70 million). 1994-95 - Finishes season as top scorer in the Dutch first division with 30 goals and helps Brazil to the final of the Copa America. 1995-96 - Scores 12 goals in 13 appearances for PSV before succumbing to his first major knee injury. Undergoes operation in February 1996 and returns as a late substitute in PSV's Dutch Cup final victory. Final record for PSV is 55 goals in 56 games. 1996 - July, moves to Barcelona for a world record $19.5 million fee. 1996-97 - Makes an instant impact at Nou Camp, scoring several astonishing goals with rampaging runs from the halfway line. Named FIFA World Player of the Year and scores Barcelona's winner in a 1-0 victory over Paris St Germain in the Cup Winners' Cup final. Final record for Barcelona is 33 goals in 38 games. 1997 - June 20, signs a five-year contract with Inter Milan after one of the longest transfer disputes in soccer history. Completes move on September 8 when FIFA orders Inter to pay an additional $1.8 million to Barcelona, bringing the total fee to a world record $27.9 million. 1997 - Dec 22, named 1997 European Footballer of the Year in an annual poll organized by France Football magazine. 1998 - Jan 12, named FIFA's World Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. 1998 - May 6, scores one goal and inspires Inter to a 3-0 win over Lazio in the UEFA Cup final. His final tally in his first season for Inter is 34 goals in 47 matches. 1998 - July 12, suffers a mysterious illness hours before the World Cup final in France. After first being named as a substitute, he is then included in the starting line-up. He plays badly and Brazil lose 3-0 to France. 1998 - Oct, suffers a series of problems with his knees that drastically reduce his appearances for Inter over the course of the season. 1999 - May, ends the season with six goals in six matches to suggest his problems are behind him. Tally for the season is 15 goals in 26 appearances. 1999 - Oct 23, scores in the Milan derby but is sent off for the first time in his Serie A career. 1999 - Nov 21, scores in a 6-0 defeat of Lecce but then trips on a greasy San Siro pitch and limps off. Inter at first deny he will need surgery. 1999 - Nov 30, undergoes an operation on a ruptured knee-cap tendon at a clinic in Paris. 1999 - Dec 24, marries Brazilian model Milene Domingues in a modest ceremony in Rio. 2000 - April 6, becomes a father when Milene gives birth to a baby boy named Ronald. 2000 - April 12 - makes his comeback as a substitute in the Italian Cup final for Inter after more than four months out. Six minutes later his knee buckles as he launches one of his trademark weaving runs on goal. He is whisked from the pitch on a motorized cart in tears. 2000 - April 13 - flies to Paris for examination by same specialist who carried out November surgery. A painstaking recovery takes more than two years but his comeback is then cut short by a series of frustrating muscular injuries. 2002 - At the start of the year, he is taken back to Brazil from Italy where an eight-strong team of professionals spend one month effectively rebuilding the stricken star. This time it works. The muscular injuries disappear and Ronaldo is ready for his third World Cup. 2002 - June, World Cup top scorer with eight goals in Brazil's triumphant campaign including two in the final against Germany. Joins Pele as the third-highest scorer in World Cup history with 12 goals in the finals. 2002 - Aug, rumors link him with a move to Real Madrid, who say they have been approached by the player's agent. 2002 - Aug 20, announces he wants to leave Inter and would prefer to return to Spain. Inter president Massimo Moratti insists that Ronaldo will play one more season for the Italian club before leaving. 2002 - Aug 22, Real president Florentino Perez and Moratti meet face-to-face in Formentera to discuss a possible transfer deal. 2002 - Aug 23, Talks break down after Real call off bid because of differences over the value of the player. 2002 - Aug 30, As the transfer deadline looms the two clubs restart negotiations and agree a deal which will see the player sign for Real Madrid in a deal worth 45 million euros. Spends the next month nursing a series of niggling injuries that postpone his debut for his new club. 2002 - Oct 6, scores within 60 seconds of making his debut as a substitute during a league game against Alaves. Grabs another goal before the end of the 5-2 win against the Basque side. 2002 - Dec 3, scores the opening goal in Real's 2-0 victory over South American champions Olimpia in the World Club Cup in Yokohama. 2002 - Dec 12, named World Soccer magazine's Player of the Year. 2002 - Dec 16, named European footballer of the year. 2002 - Dec 17, named FIFA World Player of the Year for the third time. List of winners at FIFA World Player GalaMADRID (Reuters) -- List of winners at the 2002 FIFA World Player Gala at the Palacio de Congresos in Madrid: World Player of the Year:
Men:
1. Ronaldo (Brazil)
2. Oliver Kahn (Germany)
3. Zinedine Zidane (France)
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Women:
1. Mia Hamm (U.S.)
2. Brigit Prinz (Germany)
3. Sun Wen (China)
• FIFA presidential award: Parminder Nagra (for the film Bend it like Beckham) • FIFA trophy for Real Madrid's centenary • FIFA order of merit: Santiago Bernabeu (former Real Madrid president) • FIFA world rankings best mover of the year: Senegal • FIFA world rankings team of the year: Brazil • FIFA fair play award: Football communities of Japan and South Korea
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2002 FIFA World Cup awards:
Golden ball (for best player): Oliver Kahn (Germany)
Silver ball: Ronaldo (Brazil)
Bronze ball: Hong Myung-bo (South Korea)
Golden shoe (for top scorer): Ronaldo, eight goals
Silver shoe: Miroslav Klose (Germany), Rivaldo (Brazil)
Yashin award for best goalkeeper: Oliver Kahn
Most entertaining team: South Korea
FIFA fair play trophy: Belgium
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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