Cristiano Ronaldo - Golden Ball 2008

Cristiano Ronaldo received today the Golden Ball, a distinction of the French magazine France Football that the player dedicated to the family, in a ceremony at Paris.

Cristiano Ronado received the trophy of the hands of the director of the magazine France Football, Denis Chaumier, in the studios of the Téléfoot, which it detached the « exceptional season of the Portuguese player ».

Ronaldo promised to pursue with pledge the way of the success and pointed out that he still have to learn very much.

« It is always important to be between the best players and I want to continue so », said Cristiano Ronaldo, in press conference, after receiving the trophy.

“ I am very happy ”, said the player to the TF1 already with the prize in the hands. “ It is a dream that had from kid. I always dreamed in winning one day the golden ball”, commented Ronaldo.

The player of Manchester United dedicated the prize to his family, which always accompanies it: " I am moved enough and very happily. And wanted to use this opportunity to dedicate the trophy to my family, which helped me to arrive here ”.

Besides the family, the Portuguese did not forget of thanking for his colleagues of the United: " I want to thank my colleagues of profession, principally my companions of team, without whom it would not have been possible to win the 'Balon d'Or' ”.

Ronaldo remembers what battled very much for this title: " I was 18 years old when I reached Manchester, in other words, it was very young. I always had hopes to become a great football player in Europe and in the world. And it was always that that I tried to do, improving from year for year ”.

“ Of course it wasn't easy, but I do not regret anything that I have done to arrive here ” pointed out the best player of the world to the TF1. “ I always dreamed to be able to lift this trophy and, thanks to God, now I can ”.

The international Portuguese, who was visibly emotioned, showed off the golden ball: " The trophy is splendid, marvelous and very pretty I hoped very much for it ”.

« I am an ambitious player. I want to gain more individual and collective titles », said the extreme of Manchester United.

Ronaldo became the third Portuguese to gain this prize after Figo and Eusébio.

In the last season, Cristiano Ronaldo won the Champions League and the English League, having been the best marker of these competitions, with eight goals in the « Millionaire League » and 31 in the English championship.

Manchester United wins and Cristiano Ronaldo leaves injured

Vidic's goal in period of discounts broke the resistance of the Sunderland and gave the victory to Manchester United (1-0), in play where the Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo left injured.

Manchester United was leaving for the reception to the Sunderland (18) aware as the victories of the leader Liverpool (3-1) to the Blackburn and of vice-leader Chelsea to Bolton (2-0), and only the victory would allow him to hold the third place.

It was, however, necessary to wait for 90 minutes for " red devils " to reach the goal, perforating a defensive wall that was extended by the whole play and that for much somewhat did not cost to the Sunderland a draw in Old Trafford.

Without Ronaldo in field - he left complaining about abdominal pains after having suffered a load-, it was already in the discounts that Michael Carrick shot to the pole, after the ball diverted in the body of one defense, and Vidic was of use, in the salience, to make one's mark.


The victory leaves Manchester United at the third place, with 31 points and one less play, behind Chelsea, with 36, and of Liverpool, with 37.

Mourinho wards off rumors of Cristiano Ronaldo in Inter

“ It is a beautiful history for the newspapers, but there is nothing of truth in that. ” It was what the technician José Mourinho said this Friday, being asked on the rumors that were tying Cristiano Ronaldo, of Manchester United, to his club, the Inter of Milan.

During the week, the newspaper Corriere dello Sport speculated for a possible transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to Inter through Nike, which supplies sporting material for two clubs besides sponsoring the Portuguese star. However, Mourinho's preoccupation for the nerazzuri is not to look for reinforcements in the beginning of the year.

“ If nobody leaves and nobody comes in January, I will be happy, even if my adversaries invest and if they return stronger ”, affirmed the trainer, trying to maintain the cast that leads the Italian Championship. “ I would like ending (the season) with these 29 players, even that it seems a high number. It would like commemorating with them for something important, or crying with them if we were not reaching our marks. ”

Cristiano Ronaldo himself, for his time, guarantees that has not any interest in leaving the Manchester United to work with another trainer. According to him, the Scot Alex Ferguson his technician in the English club is the most important “ person ” of his career.

In an interview to the Spanish magazine XL Semanal, shirt seven of the Red Devils believes that he could still shine even more in his current team. “ I have only 23 years, therefore I think that I can still show and do great thing. I have to work still more and cannot accommodate myself. I want to do the same thing or more the next year ”, said the current holder of Ouro's Ball of the magazine France Football.