Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 8 i World Soccer Presents

To mark the 40th anniversary of the World Soccer awards, this special edition bookazine takes you on a journey through the magazine’s World Player of the Year prize; an accolade passed on each year by indisputable football legends such as Platini, Maradona, Ronaldo, Zidane, Ronaldinho, Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. Forty years ago, Italy’s Paolo Rossi set the wheels in motion. His World Cup-winning exploits, with six goals at Spain ’82, saw him crowned the inaugural World Soccer World Player of the Year. The modus operandi in how the winner was picked each year since evolved: some years readers selected the best player, in others a panel of journalists and experts bestowed the prestigious prize upon the winner. A combination of both has even been used. But whichever method has been…

Platini is the tops It has been an absolutely fantastic year for France – that is the overwhelming message of readers and contributors from all around the world who voted in World Soccer’s annual awards poll. Michel Platini won the World Footballer of the Year accolade with a record advantage over runner-up Ian Rush; France was unrivalled in the voting as World Team of the Year for their brilliant victory in the European Championship (reinforced by their Olympic success); and Michel Hidalgo, the French boss, was voted Manager of the Year. Platini, the modest millionaire of Juventus and France, can hardly pretend surprise any more at the way he has swept every award this past year. World Soccer’s World Player of the Year crown is the latest in an ever-lengthening…

Hard man to pin down Diego Armando Maradona has proved a hard man to pin down – as much off the pitch as on it – since the 1986 World Cup final on June 29. Hardly surprising. After that, life could never be the same again – even for this 25-year-old who has become accustomed to persistent pursuit by the media and by his admirers in Naples in Italy in general, back home in Buenos Aires…and in the world at large. Maradona was voted World Soccer’s World Player of the Year because of his outstanding performances in leading Argentina to their World Cup victory. He had been criticised in the past and, in particular, in comparison with French star Michel Platini as being technically brilliant but lacking in career achievement.…

Deadly Dutchman takes the crown Marco van Basten is World Footballer of the Year for 1988. That was the hardly surprising conclusion from World Soccer’s annual poll conducted among readers and writers. Van Basten’s decisive contribution to Milan’s thrilling Italian league title takeover was followed by his even more spectacular influence on the Netherlands’ European Championship triumph, where he scored a first-round hat-trick against England, the semi-final winner against West Germany and then one of the all-time great international goals in the final against the Soviet Union. Van Basten succeeds another Dutchman to the world crown, Milan and Netherlands team-mate Ruud Gullit, who was voted into second place, with Frank Rijkaard third to complete a unique hat-trick. This is the first time in our awards history that players from one…

Mention of Italia ’90 will forever conjure up visions of Gazza howling to that tune from Turandot. Tears by the Kleenex Kid; music by Puccini. But, in reality, the Italian extravaganza was hijacked by the Wagnerian brigade, led by the tough and telling West German captain, Lothar Matthaus. Legs by Michelangelo: wealth thanks to £500,000 a year from Internazionale. For 29-year-old Bavarian Matthaus laying hands on the golden trophy represented the pinnacle of a career that began in less than glorious circumstances with his training as a home furnishings fitter…just in case. But Lothar Herbert Matthaus has not been required to upholster too many armchairs on his way to sporting immortality. The claims of other World Cup heroes such as Klinsmann, Brehme, Milla and Schillaci jostled for attention, but Matthaus…

“A lot of players win the World Cup and immediately retire from their national team… but I can’t envisage doing that. I’m a very competitive individual. I expect to be in England for the finals of the next European Championship in 1996” Marco van Basten is on top of everybody’s world. World Soccer’s readers voted him World Footballer of the Year: Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has tied him to a new contract which will keep Van Basten at the San Siro until 1996 and reward him with a basic £1.2 million a year; he is top of the Italian league with Milan; and he is the leading scorer both in Italy and in the Champions’ Cup. But what makes Van Basten even more remarkable is his apparently limitless ambition. At 28, many players…

Viva Vialli Gianluca Vialli, born on July 9, 1964, cost Juventus £12 million (for ten days a world record) when signed from Sampdoria after their Champions’ Cup final defeat by Barcelona in 1992. After injury problems he re-emerged at his very best last season to inspire Juve’s title success, despite a row with national coach Arrigo Sacchi. Vialli was born in Cremona and played for Cremonese until Sampdoria spotted his potential in 1984 and paid £1.8 million for his fledgling talent. He was Sampdoria’s leading league marksman for four years in a row, and Italy’s top scorer with19 goals in 1990-91. In 1986 he was an outstanding member of the Italian team who beat holders England to reach the final of the European Under-21 Championship. Italy lost to Spain in…

“Brazil’s legendary players wore the number10 shirt – Pele, Zico, Rivelino. I have, however, no difficulty with it. I just prefer11” First he was voted World Soccer’s Player of the Year. Then came the European Footballer of the Year award from France Football. Now Vitor Barbosa Ferreira, known to the world as Rivaldo, is the clear favourite to win the accolade of FIFA World Footballer of the Year. There can be few people who would begrudge the Brazilian star his success. Over the past 12 months Rivaldo has been the most consistently outstanding individual in world football. With Barcelona, he has won successive Spanish league titles, scoring 24 goals from left midfield last season alone. At international level, his performances at the Copa America helped restore pride and confidence to Brazil after…

O Fenemeno back on top Ronaldo’s reputation as the world’s most popular footballer has been confirmed by the results of the 2002 World Soccer awards. The Brazilian was the clear winner of this year’s World Player of the Year poll, ahead of Germany’s Michael Ballack and his Brazil and Real Madrid team-mate Roberto Carlos. The award confirms the remarkable turnaround in Ronaldo’s fortunes over the past 12 months. The forward topped the voting at the end of a year in which he scored twice in the World Cup final and joined Spanish giants Real Madrid in a hugely controversial transfer. Yet he also spent more time on the sidelines than on the pitch. In being voted 2002 World Player of the Year, Ronaldo is the first player to win our award…

Fantasy for real If Ronaldinho carries on as he is, we will soon be putting him among the all-time greats. A little while back, I received an e-mail with an internet link and the simple message: “The most amazing thing ever.” The link takes you to footage that has just been used for an advert. In it, Ronaldinho ambles over to the penalty area at Camp Nou, where a man with a small metallic suitcase awaits. In the background, the Brazilian’s team-mates are training, knocking a ball about among themselves, as he opens the case and pulls out a pair of gold encrusted boots. Ronaldinho thanks the man, laces up his new boots, flicks a football into the air and starts playing keepy-uppy. The footage is silent except for the…

Well-deserved accolades Cristiano Ronaldo, star performer in Manchester United’s Champions League triumph, is World Soccer’s Player of the Year for 2008. The Portugal winger was the clear winner in our 27th annual poll, with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi second and Fernando Torres of Liverpool in third place. Ronaldo is the first United player to win the individual prize, while last year’s winner, Kaka, did not even make the top ten. Instead, five of the top ten places are taken by members of Spain’s victorious team at Euro 2008 – Torres, captain Iker Casillas, David Villa, Xavi and Marcos Senna. Spain triumphed in the Team of the Year category, ahead of Manchester United, UEFA Cup winners Zenit Saint Petersburg and Copa Libertadores winners LDU Quito of Ecuador. African champions Egypt, who successfully…

Recognition for pass master Xavi did not score 55 goals in 51 games for Barcelona in 2010 like Leo Messi. And he wasn’t top scorer in the Champions League like Messi either. He didn’t win a domestic double and the European Cup like Wesley Sneijder. He didn’t score the key goals in a cup final, the league’s decisive game and the Champions League final like Diego Milito. And he didn’t score the winner at the World Cup like Andres Iniesta. In fact, he didn’t score any goals at the World Cup, let alone five of them like David Villa, Diego Forlan, Thomas Muller or Sneijder. But Xavi is still a worthy winner of World Soccer’s Player of the Year award. In fact, he may even be an overdue one. There…

The pursuit of perfection Cristiano Ronaldo is World Soccer’s World Player of the Year for the second time. The Portugal star finished ahead of Barca’s Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich in our annual poll. The winner in 2008 was runner-up to Messi when the Argentinian won his third World Player title last year. But the tables have been turned and Ronaldo is the clear winner this time around. The award is recognition of Ronaldo’s stunning form for Real Madrid over the past12 months, as well as his starring role in Portugal’s World Cup qualification. In November, he scored all four goals in his country’s play-off victory. PSG’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose Sweden side were defeated by Portugal in those games, finished fourth in the poll. And even in the…

CR7 number one again Cristiano Ronaldo, a European champion for both club and country in 2016, is World Player of the Year. A winner in 2008, 2013 and 2014, he has now matched the achievement of Lionel Messi by claiming the award for a record fourth time. The other winners in the 2016 World Soccer awards were first-time victors; Claudio Ranieri as Manager of the Year following his achievements with Leicester City, who were Team of the Year. The World Player award is recognition of the most successful year of Ronaldo’s career. After scoring the winning penalty when Real Madrid beat city rivals Atletico in a shootout to win the Champions League with Real Madrid, he then captained Portugal to their first senior international success, at Euro 2016. Some time…

Five alive for Messi Lionel Messi is World Soccer’s World Player of the Year for 2019, edging out Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk in one of the closest contests of recent times. It is Messi’s fifth World Soccer award – after victories in 2009, 2011, 20122012 and 2015 – equalling the achievement of his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo (winner in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2014, 2016 and 2017). Messi’s astonishing form for Spanish title-winners Barcelona gave him the edge over the Champions League winning Liverpool and Netherlands defender in a poll of journalists and pundits from around the world. Messi won a tenth La Liga Liga title with Barca in May, but they were surprisingly beaten by Valencia in the final of the Copa del Rey. And despite a wonderful performance…

A fairy tale come to life Paolo Rossi is World Soccer’s first-ever World Footballer of the Year – that is the verdict of a poll conducted among contributors and readers, the results of which were, predictably, heavily influenced by events at the World Cup finals in Spain. But while world champions Italy provided a top-scoring four players in the top ten, note also the strong representation of Brazil – with Falcao, Zico and Socrates finishing third, fourth and fifth respectively. There is no doubt that football lovers the world over were captivated by the brilliant Brazilians at the World Cup, and that is duly reflected by the appearance of Brazil at the head of the World Team of the Year poll. Italy had to be satisfied with second place here,…

The man for the big occasion Juventus star Michel Platini, Barcelona boss Terry Venables and Everton’s league and European Cup Winners’ Cup champions take the honours in World Soccer’s1985 world awards poll. Platini, captain of France, is the first player to win the World Footballer of the Year title twice – having won in1984 – 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 for11 years, while Everton were runaway winners in the Team category. But it is the Player vote that steals the headlines. When…

“You will never find me saying I’m the best” What was your overall opinion of the 1986 World Cup? It was a World Cup of football. Unlike1982 in Spain, which was a World Cup of bruises. I was particularly excited by the match between France and Brazil – I just didn’t want it to finish! I really enjoyed watching it. It was a pity one of them had to be eliminated. In fact, I thought Brazil had a very good World Cup despite all the criticism they got back home. I thought they deserved to reach the final. Which players did you most enjoy watching in Mexico? I liked Michael Laudrup of Denmark in particular and also Enzo Scifo – though I thought the Belgians used him in much too deep…

Ruud tops the honours Ruud Gullit is your World Footballer of the Year. In our annual poll the Dutch superstar, despite having played only a handful of matches this year, finished narrowly ahead of his Milan and Netherlands partner Marco van Basten. Even though knee trouble has kept Gullit sidelined for much of 1989, his interventions on the international scene have been decisive – not only for the Netherlands in the World Cup qualifiers but, probably above all, in inspiring Milan’s Champions’ Cup triumph over Steaua Bucharest in Madrid last May. Gullit had not played since injuring his knee accidentally in the semi-final dismissal of Real Madrid. But Milan patched him up for this one vital game and he scored twice in the 4-0 success. But Gullit, Milan and Netherlands…

Man of the world Jean-Pierre Papin of Marseille and France is your choice as World Player of the Year in a first awards French clean sweep. Papin scored 25 per cent of the vote – in the ten years of the awards only five players have achieved better. Also, Papin is the first non-Italy based player to win the award. Papin’s consistency through the year has been marked at domestic, international club, and national team level. He was a league champion and the top goalscorer in France, a European Cup runner-up and has been a key member of the French national team which qualified before any other country for the 1992 European Championships in Sweden. Runner-up to Papin was Robert Prosinecki and just behind him, in third place, fellow Yugoslav…

Mercurial Italian takes the plaudits Roberto Baggio is your World Player of the Year, Alex Ferguson of Manchester United is your World Manager of the Year and Parma, holders of the European Cup Winners’ Cup, are your World Team of the Year. A well-deserving trio led by a footballer in Baggio who owes his accolade to his inspirational – and goal-den – contribution to Italy’s World Cup qualification and Juventus’ UEFA Cup success. He was the winner in World Soccer’s poll – maintaining the tradition of calcio’s domination of the prize. Baggio’s career has been one long success, though not everyone has been confident his natural talent would shine through. He made his name in the top flight with Fiorentina and his transfer, in the summer of 1990, provoked riots…

Starlet on top of the world He will not be 21 until September, but according to many World Soccer readers he has already become the greatest player in the world. Ronaldo, who plays for Barcelona and Brazil, was a narrow winner in our 16th annual poll to find the top man. He was followed in the voting by England’s Alan Shearer (leading scorer at Euro ’96) and George Weah of Liberia, who plays his club football with Milan. Nigeria, winners of the Olympic Games soccer tournament in the United States, took the team award. The flood of votes for German coach Berti Vogts ensured that he would beat all the other managers to the finishing line. The top ten players represented nine countries, with Germany having two in Matthias Sammer…

Le treble France duly performed the treble in the voting for the World Soccer Player, Manager and Team of the Year – but it was a treble with a difference. Zinedine Zidane’s two goals in the World Cup final victory over Brazil shot – or rather, headed – him to a runaway win in the Player stakes, while France, overall, were clear winners of the Team award: seven of their starters in the final were nominated for the Player prize. But although there was great support for the France coach, Aime Jacquet, he was narrowly beaten to the Manager award by yet another Frenchman: Arsene Wenger, who had taken Arsenal to a remarkable Premiership and FA Cup double in his first full season in England. Wenger’s success in joining the…

Figo first to the prize Euro 2000 dominated the voting in the annual poll for World Soccer’s Player, Team and Manager of the Year. Luis Figo, outstanding for Portugal in the summer tournament, edged out Frenchman Zinedine Zidane. France took the Team prize, but the Manager vote was won by Dino Zoff, coach of Italy, the side beaten by France in the final of Euro 2000. Figo took the World Player of the Year award thanks to his performances for Portugal and, more controversially, both Barcelona and Real Madrid, whom he joined for a world-record transfer fee in July. But it was a close run thing. Zidane, the favourite when the voting opened in October – and the inspiration behind France’s Euro 2000 triumph – paid the price for a…

Czech star grabs the glory Pavel Nedved’s brilliant performances for Juventus and the Czech Republic have earned him this year’s accolade as the world’s best player. He gained more than a third of the votes from World Soccer readers in our 22nd annual poll. The 31-year-old was the outstanding player for Juventus as they retained the Serie A title and reached the Champions League final. Nedved missed that game through suspension after being booked in the semi-final, when his spectacular performance was a major factor in the defeat of competition favourites Real Madrid. Juventus went on to lose the final on penalties to Milan, winners of our Team of the Year award and coached by Carlo Ancelotti, our World Manager of the Year. Runaway winner Nedved saw off some strong…

The case for the defence Italy’s World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro is one of a rare breed, and wasted no time in attributing his success in lifting a number of individual player awards to the support of his team-mates, both at former club Juventus and Italy. “It is thanks to them that I have been able to show my qualities on the pitch,” said the 33-year-old World Cup-winning captain, now at Real Madrid, and whose prizes have included World Soccer’s Player of the Year award and France Football’s Ballon d’Or, the European Footballer of the Year prize. “So I must thank my Juve team-mates and all my colleagues from the national team.” Cannavaro was born and brought up in Naples and was a ball boy at Napoli’s Stadio San Paolo…

The clean-cut kid It’s no contest as Leo Messi sweeps the board with his first-ever World Soccer Player of the Year gong. Barcelona’s Argentinian star is heading for a clean sweep – and with no argument. The judgment of World Soccer’s worldwide readers and contributors has never, ever been in question. A dispassionate cross-section of opinion of the world game has spoken. The prestigious European Footballer of the Year trophy went the way of Barcelona’s Argentina forward despite his comparatively modest contribution in the 2010 World Cup qualifying competition. FIFA’s Player of the Year prize will also fall into his lap after Barcelona’s all-conquering year of Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, La Liga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup – with no bets against him adding the Club World…

Record-breaking enigma Lionel Messi is the overwhelming choice as World Soccer’s World Player of the Year. The brilliant Barcelona and Argentina ace collected more than 60 per cent of the votes cast in our annual poll – an all-time all-time record. It is the second time Messi has topped the World Soccer poll. He was the victor in 2009, but lost out to his Barca team-mate Xavi last year. Xavi finished third this time, behind Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Portugal. There were three Barca players in the top ten – Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta – while five of the top ten play in La Liga. Brazilian starlet Neymar is the only player in the top ten based outside of Europe. The Santos youngster finished sixth in the…

Individual brilliance shines through Cristiano Ronaldo is World Soccer’s World Player of 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…

Ronaldo leads Real clean sweep Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Portugal is World Soccer’s World Player of the Year for 2017. He led a clean sweep, with his club side being voted World Team of the Year and their coach Zinedine Zidane a clear choice as World Manager of the Year. Ronaldo scored twice as Real Madrid won a record-extending12th European Champions’ Cup with a 4-1 victory over Juventus in Cardiff. In doing so they became the first club to retain the trophy since the Champions League group-stage format was introduced, and the first team to successfully defend the European Cup since Milan in1990. Ronaldo, who also scored the only goal as Real Madrid again won the Club World Cup, retained the award ahead of his great rival Lionel…

Worthy recognition after Ballon d’Or snub Bayern Munich, Robert Lewandowski and Hansi Flick made voting for this year’s awards incredibly easy by being quite clearly the best Team, Player and Manager in the world respectively. Their achievements made this year’s results the most comprehensive for a while. The fact that so many of their other players also picked up votes demonstrates just how good they’ve been, and, in most cases, is testament to Flick’s coaching ability too: under his guidance, Alphonso Davies has gone from a promising young winger to one of the world’s best full-backs, while Joshua Kimmich has made the reverse transition, switching from marauding right-back to midfield dictator. Serge Gnabry’s rise from Premier League reject to world-class winger has been well-documented, but there is no doubt that…

Rags to riches: a superstar of two continents Zico, the Brazilian superstar who has set Italian football alight, is the1983 World Footballer of the Year. Readers and contributors to World Soccer, the game’s only publication specialising in the international field, have voted the Udinese superstar into top spot. He was run closely in the voting by Frenchman Michel Platini. And, for a second successive year, Roma’s Falcao finished third. Fascinating… that a country such as Italy whose football has such an infamous reputation for sterile, defensive play, should be home for all the top three. But it can also be regarded as significant that all three players are imports – not homegrown stars. The World Player of the Year award thus stays in Italy. Last year the winner was Juventus’…

No achievement appears beyond Michel Platini at the moment – not even Johan Cruyff’s triple crown as European Footballer of the Year. As the awards continue to pile upon the Frenchman, so this next award can be his too; he has topped the poll in the last two years organised by the Paris magazine France Football. But there is much more to Platini than a pot-hunter. Many experts rank him above the 1950s star Raymond Kopa as the best player ever produced by France. His achievements on the pitch speak for themselves, while his vision as a midfield general, dribbling and finishing have made him an outstanding figure in world football. Diego Maradona’s technique may be even more magical. But in terms of imaginative achievement the Argentine cannot compare. Joeuf,…

“I like total freedom” Ruud Gullit speaks to World Soccer after winning our World Player of the Year award for 1987… How did you prepare for your Italian adventure? For three months I took an Italian language course, one lesson each week. I had no great knowledge of football in Italy. Dutch television shows goals from the Italian championship from time to time but that hardly teaches you anything. I knew, of course, that it would be very different and I was warned to be careful, particularly about the power of the press in Italy to influence officials and fans. But you cannot let yourself become frightened of going out of the front door. Some Italian players cut themselves right off from anybody because if they go out the least…

Deutschland über alles That’s the chorus of World Soccer readers in casting their votes in the annual poll to name the World Player of the Year, the World Manager of the Year and the World Team of the Year. Top player is West Germany’s World Cup-winning captain Lothar Matthaus; top boss is his cup-winning team chief, Franz Beckenbauer; almost inevitably, then, West Germany are the year’s top team. At the end of World Cup year, of course, it is a racing certainty that the accolades will shower upon the men most successful in the most prestigious event in football. Yet this is the first time the World Cup winners have achieved an awards hat-trick. In 1982 Italy provided the Player in Paolo Rossi, the Manager in Enzo Bearzot, but NOT…

The class of ’92 Milan’s marksman supreme last term with 25 goals and leading the way again this season – topped the World Soccer poll for the second time. Marco van Basten’s previous success was in1988. Joining him among our trio of award-winners this year, in the magazine’s annual readers’ poll, is Manager of the Year Richard Moller Nielsen of Denmark, with Denmark, not surprisingly, your Team of the Year. Early in the voting, Van Basten and Dennis Bergkamp were neck and neck. But the longer the season continued, and the more steadily Van Basten kept on rattling in the goals for Milan, so the more steadily he pulled away. Denmark’s remarkable year has been reflected in the player poll with third place gained by Manchester United’s Peter Schmeichel. The…

Masterful Maldini wins the crown Paolo Maldini, Carlos Alberto Parreira and the Milan squad all set records by topping the1994 World Soccer readership awards. Maldini, Player of the Year, is the first defender to lead the voting in the 13 years the awards have been held by World Soccer. Parreira, Manager of the Year, is the first South American to win that category. And Milan, Team of the Year, are the first club to take that award twice. Maldini beat his international team-mate, Roberto Baggio, to first place by almost four per cent of the total votes cast. Baggio, who gained more votes in second place than he did when he won the1993 poll, has the consolation of knowing that an Italian-based player finished in first place for the 12th…

Back-to-back awards for phenomenon Brazil 1-2 Germany could be the result of next year’s World Cup final, and it’s already the result of the World Soccer poll for Player, Manager and Team of the Year. Ronaldo, formerly of Barcelona and now Internazionale and Brazil, the world’s outstanding individual player, retained the title he won last year, but with a much larger share of the vote. He polled 27 per cent, compared with17 a year ago. Before Inter’s derby against rivals Milan, Ronaldo was presented with the Golden Boot as the1996-97 top marksman in European league football – and he is favourite to collect the European Footballer of the Year trophy and then perhaps retain the FIFA World Footballer award. A remarkable prospect for a young man whose season started so…

Brazilian roasts the rest Manchester United’s treble-winning season prompted more than 60 per cent of voters in the annual World Soccer poll to select them as World Team of the Year and their boss, Alex Ferguson, as top man in the Manager category. But a Brazilian based in Barcelona stopped a clean sweep. Rivaldo took the Player of the Year award by a surprisingly clear margin, polling 42 per cent of the votes (the third-biggest share of the poll in World Soccer’s awards history) and finishing nearly 16 per cent ahead of Manchester United and England’s David Beckham in what was virtually a two-man race. Andriy Shevchenko, the Ukrainian striker doing so well in his first season with Milan, was third with nine per cent of the poll, but the…

Liverpool sweep the board Liverpool have achieved what no other club have done in 20 years of the World Soccer awards, winning all three categories in our 2001 poll. Michael Owen saw off strong challenges from David Beckham and Raul to be named World Player of the Year, while Liverpool and their head coach, Gerard Houllier, claimed the respective Team and Manager of the Year awards. Owen has been recognised for his strong performances for both club and country in 2001 – displays that have also seen him claim the Ballon d’Or prize in addition to the World Soccer award. His late, match-winning double in Liverpool’s FA Cup final victory over Arsenal at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium in May was his personal club highlight in a calendar year where he racked…

Priceless prince of Barcelona Barcelona’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 past12 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…

Milan’s Brazilian star does not fit the identikit of the modern footballer. Kaka is almost too good to be true. With his clean-faced good looks it is no surprise when he pulls up his jersey to reveal a T-shirt that reads: “I belong to Christ”. Unlike some of his fellow star players, he makes headlines solely with his football, not because of a “colourful” lifestyle. After all, Milan’s Brazilian playmaker does proudly boast he was still a virgin on his wedding day. Kaka also avoids controversy on the pitch. For example, he has never been sent off in five seasons in Serie A. Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite is a supremely appropriate winner of both World Soccer’s World Player of the Year award and France Football’s Ballon d’Or. For once,…

The “Dinho” question Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, better known as Ronaldinho, is World Soccer’s Player of the Decade. Based on the votes cast by readers in the ten annual votes between 2000 and 2009, the Brazilian – who was our World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005 – is the outstanding performer of the past ten years. Ronaldinho finished ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as other winners of the individual award, including Michael Owen, Pavel Nedved and Fabio Cannavaro. The unique accolade, an award predominantly for his superhuman efforts for Barcelona, is a far cry from his current situation in Italy. But is Ronaldinho finally about to deliver again? When the Brazilian ace was formally “presented” to the Milan faithful last year, he was…

It’s that man again Lionel Messi was the clear winner of World Soccer’s World Player of the Year award. The Barcelona and Argentina star collected more than twice as many votes as his nearest rivals, Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Portugal, and club-mate, Andres Iniesta of Spain. It is the third time Messi has won the award, having previously triumphed in 2009 and 2011. He joins Brazil’s Ronaldo who is the only other player to have won the award on three occasions. There was also recognition for Spain’s remarkable achievement in winning the 2012 European Championship. Vicente del Bosque was the clear winner of the World Manager of the Year award – polling over double the votes of second placed Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho – while Spain were…

Scaling new heights A year on from Argentina’s defeat in the 2014 World Cup final, Lionel Messi is back on top of the world. The Barcelona and Argentina star is World Soccer’ss Player of the Year for a record fourth time, having previously won the award back in 2009, 2011 and 2012. Messi’s victory in 2015 means he overtakes his great arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo (winner in 2008, 2013 and 2014) and his predecessor at Barca, the Brazilian Ronaldo (1996, 1997 and 2002). Debate will, of course, rage as to who can lay claim to the the title of the world’s greatest-ever player. While Argentina’s defeat in Brazil has ensured that World Cup winners Pele and Diego Maradona can still keep a hand on the crown, Messi did everything possible in…

Modric breaks Ronaldo and Messi duopoly The cover of World Soccer’s March 2017 issue featured Luka Modric with the line “The World’s Best Midfielder?” The Croatia magician’s performances for European Champions Real Madrid had been crucial to his club’s success, but the media spotlight had all too often fallen upon his more headline-hungry team-mates. The question mark is no longer needed. Not only has Modric been the world’s best midfielder over the past12 months, his elevation to the status of best player on the planet is now complete. The Ronaldo-Messi duopoly has finally been broken. Modric is World Soccer’s World Player of the Year for 2018, ending the long domination of the award by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Modric has been recognised for his role for both club and…

Two in a row for Lewandowski Since the World Soccer awards first began in1982, only Michel Platini, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have ever been named World Player of the Year in back-to-back years. Now, Robert Lewandowski’s name can be added to that illustrious list. Continuing where he left off in 2020, the Bayern Munich and Poland striker was in scintillating goalscoring form once again as he surpassed the seemingly unbreakable Bundesliga record of the late, great Gerd Muller. With 41 league goals, he overtook the Bayern legend’s tally from the1971-72 campaign, thereby securing his first-ever European Golden Shoe. For most of our panel, that was enough to win their vote. Still, missing out on the Champions League, or international glory with Poland, meant that Lewandowski’s competition for…