Sport

Brilliant Brazilian does it again

SOCCER / FIFA World Player of the Year : Brazil and Barcelona playmaker Ronaldinho was named World Player of the Year for the…

Barcelons' Ronaldinho cements his position in world football after receiving the Fifa World Player of the Year award last night. Photograph: Clive Mason / Getty Images
Barcelons' Ronaldinho cements his position in world football after receiving the Fifa World Player of the Year award last night. Photograph: Clive Mason / Getty Images
Tue Dec 20 2005 - 00:00

SOCCER / FIFA World Player of the Year: Brazil and Barcelona playmaker Ronaldinho was named World Player of the Year for the second successive season by soccer's governing body Fifa last night.

Ronaldinho is only the third player to have been voted world player of the year more than once, following his compatriot Ronaldo (1996, 1997 and 2002) and French star Zinedine Zidane (1998, 2000 and 2003).

He is the third Brazilian to win the World and European player awards in the same year after Ronaldo in 1997 and 2002, and Rivaldo in 1999.

Ronaldinho picked up 956 points to comfortably beat Chelsea's England midfielder Frank Lampard (306) in the Fifa vote by national coaches and captains around the world. His Barcelona team-mate Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon finished in third place with 190 points.

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The 25-year-old Ronaldinho also won the inaugural FIFPro World Player of the Year award, selected by his fellow players, in September. Ronaldinho enjoyed a hugely successful year, helping Barcelona win the Primera Liga title and featuring in Brazil's Confederations Cup triumph in Germany.

After picking up his award, Ronaldinho said: "I would like to say to all my team-mates and the national team that without them I would not be here. I would like to say thank you to God for giving me help and bringing me into football. I hope to make people happy with what I do and that I will be here once again in the years to come."

Lampard said: "I didn't expect this at all with so many fantastic players in world football, both in my own side and having played against them. It is a real honour."

Meanwhile, the Republic of Ireland dropped down one place to joint 24th in the latest world rankings issued yesterday. World champions Brazil top the rankings with the Czech Republic in second and the Netherlands third. Scotland are 60th up one from last month while England remain in ninth position with Wales 71st and Northern Ireland 103rd.

FIFA WORLD RANKINGS (November position in brackets): 1 (1) Brazil 840; 2 (2) Czech Republic 796; 3 (3) Netherlands 791; 4 (4) Argentina 772; 5 (7) Mexico, (6) Spain, (5) France 768; 8 (8) United States 767; 9, (9) England 757; 10 (10) Portugal 754.