Manchester United's winger Cristiano Ronaldo picked up his third award of this season yesterday, two days after his club was eliminated in the Champions League semi-finals.
Ronaldo was named player of the year by English soccer writers after standout domestic performances for the Red Devils, who are closing in on the Premier League title and will face Chelsea in the FA Cup final on May 19.
United was beaten 3-0 by AC Milan on Wednesday, however, in the semi-final of the Champions League and the Italian club will meet Liverpool in the May 23 final in Athens.
PHOTO: AP
Two weeks ago, Ronaldo picked up the player of the year award and the young player of the year award as voted on by his fellow pros in the Professional Footballers' Association.
The awards come 10 months after Ronaldo became one of the most vilified figures in English soccer for his part in Wayne Rooney's ejection against Portugal in the World Cup.
After his Manchester United teammate had been shown the red card for stamping on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho's groin, Ronaldo became involved in a heated argument with the striker. As Rooney walked off the field, Ronaldo winked towards the Portuguese bench. He went on to score the final goal of the penalty shootout that eliminated England.
On his return to English soccer, Ronaldo was booed by opposition fans wherever he played. But he has won over many with his brilliant dribbling, shooting and goal scoring for United, for whom he has netted 16 Premier League goals.
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