Cristiano Ronaldo will be honoured for an outstanding
season when he collects the Footballer of the Year Award at the
Football Writers' Association 60th anniversary dinner in London
tomorrow night. The 22-year-old Manchester United winger has
already collected a plethora of accolades after helping drive his
team towards the Barclays Premiership title, and potentially an FA
Cup double. Ronaldo was earlier this week named the United fans and
players' player of the year, as well as scooping both the awards
from the Professional Footballers' Association - the first man to
win each category in the same season since Andy Gray in
1977.
The Portugal winger certainly has come full circle after he faced
an uncertain future following the adverse publicity he received for
his part in England's World Cup demise during the summer. United
manager Sir Alex Ferguson will also attend the gala event at the
Royal Lancaster Hotel to honour one of his star men, who recently
agreed a new five-year deal with the Old Trafford club.
Chairman of the FWA, Paul Hetherington said: "Cristiano has picked
up every award in sight - which is an indication of the superb
season he has had. "The football writers' have clearly got their
choice right as the Footballer of the Year, which shows there have
been no agendas carried over from the World Cup last summer. "Even
though Cristiano has already been presented with many awards, we
believe tomorrow night will be be a very special occasion for
him."
Former England captain Alan Shearer - voted Footballer of the Year
himself when at Blackburn in 1994 - will propose the toast of the
FWA, which was formed back in 1947. Hetherington added: "This is
the original of all awards to honour the outstanding footballer of
the season. "It is our 60th anniversary - we started off with a
famous winger in Sir Stanley Matthews as our first winner and now
our latest recipient is also a winger blessed with breathtaking
skills."
However, if anyone thinks the Portugal superstar will be satisfied
with one season of glory, they have got it badly wrong. He said: "I
am at a great club, with great players. We should be looking to win
something every year. "This season is not over yet either. We still
have a chance to win the double and, while you can never say who
will win any match, the confidence in the team is high and I
believe we have a good chance."
