Ronaldo wins UEFA Player of the Year award
Martens claims women’s top award
MONACO, Aug 24, (Agencies): Cristiano Ronaldo was named UEFA Player of the Season for 2016-2017 on Thursday after a campaign which saw the Portuguese superstar help Real Madrid to the La Liga and Champions League double.
It was the third time that Ronaldo had won the award which was presented on the sidelines of the Champions League group stage draw.
His great rival Lionel Messi has won the prize on two occasions and could pave the way for him to capture a fifth Ballon d’Or title. “There are the same goals every year, to meet the same challenges, win everything if possible, qualify for the World Cup with my national team,” said Ronaldo.
“This trophy will give me the motivation to keep working hard, never to give up. I am blessed and delighted to be with Real Madrid.”
Ronaldo won the UEFA award in 2013-2014 and 2015-2016 and in the Champions League last season, where Real defeated Juventus 4-1 in the final, he finished as top scorer with 12 goals.
Juventus goalkeeper and captain Gianluigi Buffon was second in the voting ahead of Messi.
Barcelona winger Lieke Martens was named UEFA women’s Player of the Year, beating VfL Wolfsburg striker Pernille Harder and Olympique Lyon midfielder Dzsenifer Marozsan, European soccer’s governing body announced during the Champions League group stage draw in Monaco on Thursday.
Martens guided the Dutch women’s team to their first international title when they won the European championship this year. The 24-year-old was named
player of the tournament.
FIFA has appointed a committee to run crisis-hit Cameroonian football as doubts grow over the country’s ability to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Cameroon is struggling to complete the necessary infrastructure projects to host the three-week event.
The organisation of the tournament has been complicated by a power struggle at the heart of the Cameroonian Football Association after Tombi Roko Sidiki’s controversial victory in the 2015 race to be chief executive was annulled by the country’s national Olympic and sports committee.