So really.. Who is the World Footballer of the Year??

Okay, so the European football season is now finally over.. And in a result that most pundits were not predicting at the beginning of the tournament, a brave Spain overcame their “chronic choker” label and won it all over the somewhat overrated German team..

But wait.. Wasn’t this supposed to be the tournament where Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed his status as the World’s Greatest Player by leading his Portugal team to a title, hence eclipsing the likes of Figo and Eusebio in Portugese and Euro lore?? That would surely make him a clear choice for European Footballer of the Year.. Right???

Wrong.. Not only did Portugal fail to win, and fail to make the semi-final (which might have been enough to render this whole blogpost irrevelant), but Ronaldo played in 3 games, scoring in only one, and looking like a world beater in a combined three-quarters of a game.. So that begs the question that is the title of this post.

An award like Footballer of the Year suggests excellence in all aspects, all through the year. Despite winning the English League and Champions Leagues titles, I choose to strike Ronaldo off the list because of his poor personal performance in Euro 2008. So let us consider some other options..

Firstly, let us strike the English and other Euro-absent members of Man. Utd off the list. I should not have to explain this choice. Participation is important and no-play means no love on this list. That leaves Ronaldo, and I have already explained why I would not vote for him.

Secondly, let us look at the team that won the Euros, the true Galacticos of Spain. While their win was truly a team effort, there were a few key players to the win. Cesc Fabregas, David Villa, Marcos Senna, Fernando Torres, and Iker Casillas. As a Gunner, I would love to be able to vote for Fabregas, but our failure to win a trophy makes that difficult. David Villa also made a name for himself in the tournament and won the Copa Del Rey, but his injury-riddled season for a Valencia team that was seriously worried about relegation also makes that a tough vote. Marcos Senna had a brilliant tournament, helping Spain keep clean sheets in the knockout round, also helping Villarreal to a shock second-place finish in La Liga. However, as a striker myself, it is so hard for me to vote for a defensive midfielder as World Footballer. That said, lets table him for further consideration. Fernando Torres may have been Man of the Match in the final, but his tournament was more an example of why teams should play with two strikers and not one, because David Villa and Daniel Guiza were able to profit from all his hard running and the attention defenders gave him. Iker Casillas had a wonderful tournament, led Spain from the back, and was phenomenal in the penalty shoot-out that kicked out the Italians.. And he did the same thing for his club side Real Madrid, maintaining his status as a living Madrid legend. So while Real’s Champions League campaign was less than stellar, I will also table him for further consideration.

So what of the losing team in today’s final??  In my opinion, only one player deserves consideration. That is Der New Kaiser, Michael Ballack. The fact that his pre-final playing status was so anxiously discussed and tracked only serves to make my point. He was the motor behind a less-impressive German team, some six years after doing the same thing in World Cup 2002.. Add to that his impressive performances in Chelsea’s resurgence during the second half of the season (which coincided with his return from injury and the fading of Frank Lampard owing to personal reasons) that took them to the Carling Cup final, Champions League final, and a second-place finish in the English league. So while he was a 4-time bridesmaid, he was there 4 times, which counts a great deal in my book..

Let me add one wild-card to the mix. Consider Andrei Arshavin from Russia. He completely elevated  the level of play and excitement in the tournament, doing so in 3 of his team’s 5 games. I am really amazed at how he was able to enter the tournament as such a surprise after displaying the same silky skills while winning the UEFA cup, spanking a star-studded Bayern Munchen en route.

So these are my short-list options, Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcos Senna, Iker Casillas, Michael Ballack, and Andrei Arshavin.. Any takers??