Cristiano Ronaldo wins FIFA player of year award

ZURICH, Switzerland — Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA World Player of the Year award Monday to complete a sweep of soccer's top individual honors for 2008.

The Portugal winger led Manchester United to the Premier League and Champions League titles in May. He scored 42 goals in all competitions last season and became the first English Premier League player to win the honor in the award's 18-year history.

"It is an overwhelming moment, a very special moment in my life," Ronaldo said. "I would like to say to my mother and sister that the fireworks can be fired off now."

Brazil's Marta won the women's award for the third year in a row. She earlier announced she is joining the Los Angeles Sol in the Women's Professional Soccer League.

Ronaldo received 935 votes in a worldwide poll of national team captains and coaches. He was followed by Barcelona and Argentina midfielder Lionel Messi (678 votes) and Liverpool and Spain striker Fernando Torres (203), with the results announced by Brazilian great Pele.

Ronaldo was widely expected to win after capturing the Ballon D'Or as European player of the year and World Soccer magazine's player of the year. Before the announcement, the orchestra at the Zurich Opera House gave a not-so-subtle hint by playing an aria from Handel's "Rinaldo."

Ronaldo is the second Portuguese to receive the award. Luis Figo won in 2001 when David Beckham, who also wore No. 7 for Manchester United, was runner-up.

"It is a dream for me to get this prize because I want to bring the team and my country forward," Ronaldo said. "I would like to dedicate it to my family. This is the most important thing to me."

Ronaldo missed the start of this season because of injury and has struggled to regain his form. He has eight league goals, but the last came in November.

Before the ceremony, Ronaldo paid tribute to United manager Alex Ferguson and his former Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who now manages United's rival Chelsea.

"Mr. Ferguson and Mr. Scolari were decisive," he said through an interpreter. "I would like to thank them for making me the player I am today."

Messi led Argentina to the Olympic gold medal in Beijing and has helped Barcelona take a commanding lead of the Spanish league, scoring 20 goals in 22 games. AC Milan playmaker Kaka, last year's winner, and Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez were also finalists.

Marta, who led Brazil to a silver medal in Beijing, received 1,002 points to beat Germany's Birgit Prinz (328) and Brazil teammate Cristiane (275). The other finalists were Germany goalkeeper Nadine Angerer and England striker Kelly Smith.

"It is the fifth time I have come here and the third time I win, and the emotions are still strong," Marta said. "This is an award any athlete would be happy to get."

The national federations of Armenia and Turkey won the Fair Play Award. The teams played each other for the first time in September, with Turkey winning the World Cup qualifier 2-0 in the Armenian capital. Armenia and Turkey do not have diplomatic relations because of the dispute over the killings of Armenians during World War I, which Armenians contend was genocide.

FIFA gave a special award to the Palestine Football Association for opening the Al-Husseini Stadium and staging the first international game on the West Bank.

The Presidential Award went to women's soccer, with a special dedication to the U.S. team that won the Olympic gold medal.

"For so many years women played football and no one noticed," said U.S. player Heather O'Reilly, who accepted the award. "That has changed today. The women's game is improving day by day."