WORLD SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Michel PLATINI
1985
Exclusive…the December1985 December 1985 edition included an interview with Platini
The man for the big occasion
J
uventus star Michel Platini, Barcelona boss Terry Venables and Everton’s league and European Cup Winners’ Cup champions take the honours in World Soccer’ss 1985 world awards poll. Platini, captain of France, is the first player to win the World Footballer of the Year title twice – having won in 1984 – thanks to the votes of readers of World Soccer and of the Dutch magazine International Voetball Nieuws. Venables earned his honour – the first British individual to finish on top of one of the award categories – thanks to his brilliant takeover at Barcelona which resulted in the club’s first Spanish league title for 11 years, while Everton were runaway winners in the Team category. But it is the Player vote that steals the headlines. When the last votes were counted and polling had finished, Platini was assured of retaining his World Player of the Year title. And then, the very next day, the captain of France and inspiration of Juventus – both European champions in their own spheres – strolled out against Yugoslavia to demonstrate just why he is the No.1. No player had previously won the award twice, let alone twice in a row, since its inception in 1982. But if Platini maintains his present high standards
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PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Juventus talisman… in action v Roma
