WORLD SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Cristiano RONALDO 2014
Untouchable…Cristiano Ronaldo has simply been unstoppable
Individual brilliance shines through
C
ristiano Ronaldo is World Soccer’s World Player of Soccer’ the Year for the second year running after a brilliant 12 months for Real Madrid, who won their tenth European Cup in May, with the Portuguese forward scoring in the 4-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in the final in Lisbon. Ronaldo, who won the award in 2008 while playing for Manchester United, saw off competition from several of Germany’s victorious World Cup side, as well as his La Liga rival, Argentina star Lionel Messi, who finished in third place. Germany, not surprisingly, claimed the World Team of the Year award, after their victory over Argentina in the World Cup final and an extraordinary 7-1 demolition of Brazil in the semifinal. Their coach Joachim Low is World Manager of the Year, finishing ahead of Diego Simeone of Atletico Madrid. Against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final was where the 2013-14 season ended for Ronaldo. But it begun back in the summer in pre-season training in the USA when he picked up the ball, sprinted past an opponent and thumped a shot into the net before turning to the bench
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PLAYER OF THE YEAR
as if to say: “Did you see that?” On the bench were Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, and club president Florentino Perez. And, yes, they had seen it. Ancelotti shrugged and smiled. What can you do? The answer, Ronaldo hoped, was play him, of course. Madrid’s season was about to start and Ronaldo was determined to play. The club wanted to be cautious, doctors had advised them to take things slowly, and Ancelotti tried to rein Ronaldo in. But there he was, out to
prove he was ready. And when he does things like that, it’s hard to argue. Ronaldo’s ambition remains limitless, the appetite voracious. In the closing weeks of last season, Ronaldo was not fully fit and he was unable to make the impact he would have liked on the World Cup. He scored just once, against Ghana, and Portugal went out in the group stage. His World Cup record reads three goals: one in 2006, a penalty against Iran, when he was named the tournament’s Best Young Player, one in 2010 against
Celebrating… Ronaldo after Real’s fourth goal in the Champions League final
