Ronaldinho poised for Fifa honour

[Mac 10 †]

Ronaldinho poised for Fifa honour  
 
Barcelona forward Ronaldinho is set to be named Fifa's World Player of the Year for the second time on Monday.
 
The 25-year-old won the award last year and has maintained his superlative form for both Barcelona and Brazil.

He has already been named the 2005 FIFpro World Player of the year and the 2005 European Footballer of the Year.

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard and Ronaldinho's Barcelona team-mate Samuel Eto'o are the other two players on Fifa's three-man shortlist.

The Fifa award has been won by a Spanish-based player for the last four years and has never been won by a player from the Premiership.

It is determined by coaches and captains of every national team, who vote for their top player based on a list of candidates drawn up by the world governing body.

Ronaldinho helped Barcelona to the league title last season and - together with Eto'o - has been in brilliant form so far this season.

Lampard, the footballer of the year in England last season, came second to Ronaldinho for the European award.

It is the first time the Chelsea midfielder has been shortlisted for the Fifa award.

The midfielder joined Chelsea from West Ham in June 2001 for £11m.

"I am absolutely delighted for Frank," England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson told the Football Association website.

"He is one of the best midfielders in the world right now.

"I can think of almost no weakness in his game. He has tremendous energy, a complete range of passing, both long and short, he can tackle and he scores more goals from midfield than most strikers."


Previous Fifa World Player of the Year winners
2004 - Ronaldinho
2003 - Zinedine Zidane
2002 - Ronaldo
2001 - Luis Figo
2000 - Zinedine Zidane
1999 - Rivaldo
1998 - Zinedine Zidane
1997 - Ronaldo
1996 - Ronaldo
1995 - George Weah
1994 - Romario
1993 - Roberto Baggio
1992 - Marco van Basten
1991 - Lothar Matthaus