WORLD SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR
RONALDINHO
2004
Ronaldinho rules…revitalising Barca
Priceless prince of Barcelona
B
arcelona’s brilliant Brazilian, Ronaldinho, is your choice as 2004 World Player of the Year. The award is recognition of Ronaldinho’s pivotal role in revitalising Barcelona over the past 12 months. His impact since joining the club from PSG in July 2003 has been immense and deserves to be compared to that of his compatriot Ronaldo in 1996. After Barca’s poor start to last season, Ronaldinho inspired them to qualify for the Champions League; this season they have led from the front in La Liga, while their entertaining style of football has been carried over to the Champions League. Ronaldinho has contributed a series of crucial goals, including a late winner against Milan. Thierry Henry, an early favourite for this year’s award after playing a key role in Arsenal’s record 49-game unbeaten run, finished second. Andriy Shevchenko, top scorer in Serie A last season, was third, with Deco, star of Porto’s Champions League victory and who has since joined Barcelona, fourth. Jose Mourinho was the clear winner of the Manager award, recognition of his success in guiding unfancied Porto to Champions League glory – just a year on from their UEFA Cup triumph. Otto Rehhagel, who masterminded Greece’s
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PLAYER OF THE YEAR
shock win at Euro 2004, finished second, ahead of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. English champions Arsenal ran Greece close for the Team award, but the Greeks, 100-1 outsiders at the beginning of Euro 2004, were the marginal winners after their amazing success in Portugal. Porto were third and Barca fourth, but Ronaldinho looks set to bring back the good times to Camp Nou.
President Joan Laporta must wake up in the middle of the night sweating with fright at the thought that if he had kept his pre-election promise in the summer of 2003, he would have wound up with David Beckham – and Ronaldinho would probably be weaving his magic in Madrid. The Brazilian joins an elite clutch of fellow countrymen who have carried off the game’s major individual awards
Priceless… Ronaldinho
