(Being World Soccer, shouldn't the question be about the best player in the world?)
I always think that these accolades, official or not, are given too early. The most important time of the season is now, when the candidates are separated from the champions, and although individual prizes shouldn't have to do with team trophies, surely collective achievement is important, especially when there is more than one candidate to consider.
This year, though, there can be no doubts. Cristiano Ronaldo's season is being so good that I would propose a new and further-reaching question: is Ronaldo 2007-8 the finest season of any player in Europe, ever? We still have to wait a few years to know whether he will merit a place in the pantheon of footballing greats (it's looking good so far, though), but as far as single seasons go, it's difficult to see what else Ronaldo (or any other player ever) could do to make it better. Can it stand up there with the finest years from Marco van Basten, Zinédine Zidane, Ronaldo, Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer...? Of course, in the weeks ahead we might still see him being sent off, or miss several sitters when a goal is sorely needed, or showboat too much or miss a decisive penalty. Manchester United might win the two biggest trophies of the season or only one or none at all.
But so far, I'd say his season does merit at least the consideration. At this stage he's sprinting away from the defenders, and facing one-on-one the goalie of History. And surely he must score...
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Re: The Big Issue 15: Player of the European season?
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