IN A MAGICAL 2008 FIFA World Player evening, Cristiano Ronaldo and Marta were crowned FIFA World Player and FIFA Women's World Player respectively in the grandiose surroundings of the Zurich Opera House on Monday. The Portugal and Manchester United midfielder becomes the first Premier League player to win the award. Ronaldo, 23, beat AC Milan's Kaka, Liverpool's Fernando Torres and Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Xavi to the prestigious title. "It's an overwhelming moment in my career and I'd like to dedicate this award to my family, friends and colleagues," said the winger. Ronaldo's 42 goals for Manchester United last season helped the Old Trafford club to the Premier League and Champions League double. The Portugal international, who also picked up the European Player of the Year crown in December and the FifPro World Footballer of the Year honour in October, paid special tribute to United boss Sir Alex Ferguson. "It's also true that the manager always has an important role to play. It was a great season for me and for my club, and the coach was important for me because I learned a lot from him. "His experience over so many years is of paramount importance. It's a privilege to have such a great club manager. "This is the climax of a fantastic era for me. I'm happy and proud about what has been done by my team and what we have won. "I am lucky to be part of the history of a club like Manchester United." The coaches and captains of 155 national teams took part in the voting for the award with Messi finishing second ahead of Torres, Kaka and Xavi. Ronaldo's triumph sees him become only the second Portuguese player to pick up the FIFA title, following Luis Figo who won the award in 2001. Meanwhile, Brazil forward Marta collected her third successive women's award. "This is an amazing achievement for me," said the 22-year-old. "This game has given me so many great moments of joy. This award is fantastic and I'd like to thank you all very much." England and Arsenal Ladies striker Kelly Smith was one of the five nominees for the title. The celebration started with an opening speech by FIFA President Joseph S Blatter which recalled the biggest moments of the year just passed. The time then came to pay homage to the outstanding performers at the FIFA competitions held in 2008. First up were the ladies, with the likes of Dzsenifer Marozsan, Taylor Vancil and Mana Iwabuchi, who starred at the FIFA U- 17 Women's World Cup New Zealand, as well as Sydney Leroux and Alyssa Naeher, who lit up the women's U-20 event in Chile, making an appearance alongside established stars such as Marta, Cristiane and Nadine Angerer. After a well-deserved ovation for these up-and-coming individuals, several of whom are sure to be chasing the senior prize in years to come, it was the turn of the men's game to applaud those players who made the biggest impact over the last 12 months. Six months on from their sparkling FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup displays on the sands of Marseille, Madjer, Roberto Valeiro and Amarelle were all honoured in Zurich. Also receiving recognition were futsal magicians Pula, Tiago and Falcao, who wowed the Brazilian fans at October's FIFA Futsal World Cup. After briefly turning the spotlight onto South Africa, which is set to host both the FIFA Confederations Cup and the FIFA World Cup over the next 18 months, it was time to hand over the Development Award - a first in Gala history. This honour went to the Palestinian Football Association, whose President Jibril Rajoub received the award from Michel Platini and Blatter, who have hailed the construction of the Al-Husseini stadium in Al-Ram, the country's first international-class stadium. This enabled Palestine to host their first ever home international on their own soil against Jordan in October 2008. Issa Hayatou, CAF president and FIFA vice-president, had the honour of revealing the winner of the 2008 Fair Play Award, which was awarded jointly to the Armenian and Turkish Football Associations. There had been no diplomatic relations between the two countries for many years, but that situation changed on 6 September 2008 when Turkish President Abdullah Gul accepted the formal invitation of his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsian to attend the two nations' 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match. "Football has always been considered as an effective way of establishing a degree of mutual trust, common understanding and friendly relations," said Armenian Football Association President Ruben Hayrapetyan. "We're happy to see that this match between our two national teams has been so warmly appreciated by the international football family." On the back of a round of applause celebrating this touching event, it was time for the FIFA Presidential Distinction award, which was co-presented by the FIFA president himself, legendary Canadian player Charmaine Hooper and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner. The 2008 award went to the United States' women's national teams, with Heather O'Reilly picking up the prize on behalf of her fellow Stars and Stripes internationals. The USA emerged victorious at both the Women's Olympic Football Tournament and the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, on top of a runners-up finish at the women's U-17 showpiece in New Zealand. These exceptional results can only boost the continued progress of the women's game which, as Hooper stated, "is currently played by 26 million girls and women across FIFA's 208 member associations and which continues to attract more and more sportswomen."
