Footballing experts from FIFA's Football Committee and the Committee for Women's Football have had their say by cutting down to five the list of men to be crowned as the FIFA World Players for 2008. Kaka, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres and Xavi are the last five.
Though obviously, the final decision will be made by the captains and head coaches of the men's and women's national teams on Monday 12 January 2009 in Zurich, Leadership Sports take a critical look of the five nominees:
Ronaldo, Man United's Portuguese Prince:
Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly one of the hottest talents in world football. With his surging runs and dazzling skills performed at blistering pace, comparisons with his Brazilian namesake have been inevitable.
Born on the island of Madeira on 5 February 1985, he began his footballing education with Nacional before a 2002 transfer to Lisbon giants Sporting, at the age of 17. The winger's rise to stardom since then has been nothing short of meteoric. During his first and only season with the club in 2002/03, he played in 25 games and scored three goals.
2008 has been a year of remarkable achievements for Ronaldo. Starting the year in auspicious fashion, with his first hat-trick for Manchester United on 12 January, he finished the Premier League season with a stunning total of 31 goals, enough to earn him the European Golden Shoe for the first time. His goals propelled United not only to another Premier League title, but the UEFA Champions League crown as well. Ronaldo scored United's only goal in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the final in Moscow, in a match which the Red Devils eventually won in a penalty shoot-out.
Ronaldo performed creditably at international level again at EURO 2008, although Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals.
The FIFA World Player of the Year Award would be a welcome addition to the 23-year-old's trophy cabinet, and would further emphasise the fact that the Portuguese winger has successfully made the transition from being a player with potential to a star in his own right
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