Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded today ‘Best Portuguese Player’ of the century at the ‘Gala Quinas de Ouro’ event celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF).
At the event, FPF honored the most outstanding personalities of the Portuguese football history including Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was named as the ‘Portuguese Coach’ of the century during the ceremony.
The candidates for the ‘Best Player’ award were Cristiano Ronaldo, Benfica’s legend Eusébio and former Real Madrid midfielder Luis Figo. Ronaldo managed to beat both Figo and Eusébio, considered to be the two greatest Portuguese footballers of all time.
Both FIFA’s president, Joseph Blatter, and UEFA’s president Michel Blatter were present at the ceremony to witness the announcement. The winner was decided by fans who voted online through the FPF’s official website.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays forward for Spanish team Real Madrid, couldn’t attend the ceremony because of the Copa del Rey match against Atlético, scheduled for January 15.
On Monday, January 12, Cristiano Ronaldo won the 2014 FIFA Ballon d’Or, an award that honors the player with the best performance of the year. He won the distinction for the second time in a raw, after having won the honor in 2013. He received the honor for the first time in 2008.
He is the third Portuguese international footballer to win the Ballon d’Or after Eusébio (1965) and Luís Figo (2000), and the first Portuguese soccer player to win the FIFA’s award three times. He is the first Portuguese player to play and score in three World Cup tournaments.
In a 2014 UEFA poll, he was named the greatest goal scorer to play in the UEFA Champions League. Ronaldo also holds the record for most goals scored in a single UEFA Champions League season having scored 17 goals in the 2013–14 season.
Cristiano Ronaldo, a native of Madeira island, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga Club Real Madrid. The captain of the Portuguese national team, he has become the most expensive player in football history. On May 2014, Forbes ranked Ronaldo first in their list of the world’s highest paid players, with earnings of $73 million in combined income from salaries, bonuses and off-field earnings for the previous 12 months.
paj.staff
