© EuroFootball.com
26-year-old "Barcelona" defender Ronaldinho has been named the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPro) Player of the Year for the second year in a row. In these elections, the best player was chosen by 43 thousand professional footballers from 40 national associations.
"This is a huge award, as well as motivation to strive for progress in the future," said the Brazilian.
Ronaldinho, who won the Spanish league and the Champions League with "Barcelona" this year, was also selected for the symbolic Team of the Year, which was also assembled based on all votes.
Also included in the team were other players like Brazilian Kaka, Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o, Englishman John Terry, four Italian World Cup champions Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluca Zambrotta, and Andrea Pirlo, as well as three French players – the scandalously retired Zinedine Zidane, Lilian Thuram, and Thierry Henry.
Argentinian Lionel Messi was named the Young Player of the Year, and Cristiano Ronaldo was chosen as the fans' favorite in the same category.
Samuel Eto'o also received an award for his fight against racism, and the "Barcelona" club was awarded the Peace Prize for giving space on their jerseys to the emblem of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) instead of selling advertisements.
The symbolic team looks like this:
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy / "Juventus")
Defenders: Lilian Thuram (France / "Barcelona"), Fabio Cannavaro (Italy / "Real"), John Terry (England / "Chelsea"), Gianluca Zambrotta (Italy / "Barcelona")
Midfielders: Andrea Pirlo (Italy / "Milan"), Zinedine Zidane (France), Kaka (Brazil / "Milan")
Forwards: Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon / "Barcelona"), Thierry Henry (France / "Arsenal"), Ronaldinho (Brazil / "Barcelona").
