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Ronaldinho wins first FIFPro Player of the Year
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-09-20 08:09

LONDON (Reuters) -- Barcelona's gifted Brazilian midfielder Ronaldinho was elected the first FIFPro world player of the year on Monday from a poll of 38,000 professional players in 40 countries.

Brazil's Ronaldinho arrives at the FIFPRO World Player Awards at BBC Television Centre in London, September 19, 2005.
Brazil's Ronaldinho arrives at the FIFPRO World Player Awards at BBC Television Centre in London, September 19, 2005. [Reuters]
The members of the players' world association also voted in a secret ballot to choose the 2004-05 season's best team from a short list of 55 top names.

"There are no greater football critics than the players themselves," said FIFPro president Gordon Taylor. "To be recognized by your fellow professionals from across the world is a unique honor. While we respect the many other football awards that are handed out I think it is special to see these results, the very first ballot among the world's players."

Ronaldinho, who helped his country win the 2002 World Cup, was also elected FIFA Player of the Year last December.

Featuring alongside the Brazilian in midfield were Real Madrid's Zinedine Zidane with French compatriot Claude Makelele and his Chelsea teammate Frank Lampard of England.

AC Milan, last season's Champions League runner-up, provided five players with Brazilian goalkeeper Dida and defenders Cafu, also of Brazil, as well as Italians Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta and Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko, the current European Footballer of the Year.

England center back John Terry made it three for English champion Chelsea.
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