Cristiano Ronaldo and the FIFA World Player of the Year Award

Cristiano Ronaldo has won the FIFA World Player of the Year Award, which is appropriate, because Cristiano Ronaldo was the best player in the world over the past twelve months. Lionel Messi, who finished second, and Fernando Torres, who finished third, do more to warm my heart, but it was Ronaldo who occupied the perilous center of everybody’s lens and rifle sight last year, and that didn’t happen by chance.

Rather than repeating everything I wrote after his Ballon d’Or win last month, actually, I’ll just link to it. What’s happened since then is that he crashed his Ferrari into a tunnel, which didn’t suddenly grant him unambiguous significance. But there’s no other footballer who wouldn’t have been diminished by all the ridicule that followed (from me, too). With Ronaldo, all that mockery seems to one side of the truth. Even if you can’t put your finger on what the truth is, which was basically my argument after the Ballon d’Or, it’s not hard to spot the destiny that’s going to carry him through every attempt to tear him down—probably pouting, spiky, and with the collar of his polo shirt turned up, but intact at least until he gives in to his own frustration.

The results:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (935 points)
2. Lionel Messi (678)
3. Fernando Torres (203)
4. Kaka (183)
5. Xavi (155)