or 
Ronaldo Wins Ballon d'Or | 
It was only a matter of time. Tonight Cristiano Ronaldo took home the Ballon d’Or, a trophy that he was heavily favored to win following his fantastic year at Old Trafford. Ronaldo netted 42 goals on his way to a English Premier League title and the UEFA Champions League crown as well.
Although Ronaldo’s summer was full of speculation over a potential transfer to Real Madrid and an ankle injury, he did not allow it to slow him down. Since his return to the pitch in September, Cristiano has netted an additional 9 goals, and he continues to impress as always.
After finishing 2nd in the voting for the Ballon d’Or last year, Ronaldo was able to win the coveted award this year in a relative landslide. Cristiano Ronaldo is the first United player to bring home the trophy since former United winger, George Best, did in 1968. Ronaldo is also the first Portuguese player to win it since Barcelona winger, Luis Figo, won it in 2000.
Final positions (British based players in bold):
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Manchester United), 446 points
2. Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona), 281 pts
3. Fernando Torres (Spain, Liverpool), 179 pts
4. Iker Casillas (Spain, Real Madrid), 133 pts
5. Xavi (Spain, Barcelona), 97 pts
6. Andrei Arshavin (Russia, Zenit St Petersburg), 64 pts
7. David Villa (Spain, Valencia), 55 pts
8. Kaka (Brazil, AC Milan), 31 pts
9. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden, Inter Milan), 30 pts
10 Steven Gerrard (England, Liverpool), 28 pts
11. Marcos Senna (Spain, Villarreal), 16 pts.
12. Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo, Arsenal), 12 pts.
13. Wayne Rooney (England, Manchester United), 11 pts.
14. Sergio Aguero (Argentina, Atletico Madrid), 10 pts.
15. Frank Lampard (England, Chelsea), 8 pts.
16. Franck Ribery (France, Bayern Munich), 7 pts.
17. Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon, Barcelona), 6 pts.
18. Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, Juventus), 5 pts.
19. Michael Ballack (Germany, Chelsea), Cesc Fabregas (Spain, Arsenal), 4 pts.
21. Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast, Chelsea), Sergio Ramos (Spain, Real Madrid), Nemanja Vidic (Serbia, Manchester United), 3 pts.
24. Edwin van der Sar (Netherlands, Manchester United), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands, Real Madrid), 2 pts.
No votes : Karim Benzema (Lyon), Pepe (Real Madrid), Luca Toni (Bayern Munich), Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid), and Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow).
Have you voted for Premiership Talk today? Go for it: Soccerlens 2008 Awards!
Latest Headlines
- Barca send out warning as Stuttgart are stuffed
- Barcelona v VFB Stuttgart – LIVE
- Rooney: “Serbia? Who plays for them?”
- Liverpool gain momentum ahead of Thursday
- Is Iain Dowie really the man to save Hull?
- Grafite hopes for Dzeko stay
- Mourinho’s position remains unchanged
- Mourinho earns the praise of Inter president
- The Wednesday Wonder: Wayne Rooney
- Inter midfielder praises fantastic match
Featured Articles
Cash kings approach their throne
Zain Alvi talks all about return on equity. more...
Goal line technology sidelined
While Alex McLeish adamantly argued for the use more...NewsNow
Links
For the most up-to-date information on the Cheltenham Gold Cup, check out a trusted online source.Live scores provided by Livescore.
For the best in Premiership football betting, go to a great site with the best odds and bets.
Free Tipster Competition! £3k to be won each month. Free Entry. Get Started Today!
Check out the internet's leading free bet offers guide at Free Bet.
