Cristiano Ronaldo wins Goal 50 Award, Vincent Enyeama only Nigerian on Goal 50

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Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Goal 50 award for the world’s best footballer after a record-breaking season.

The Portuguese forward claims the trophy from digital football brand Goal.com for the third time.

Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama was also named in the list and finished in 27th spot after impressive performances with Lille and the Super Eagles in the last season.

Enyeama helped the reigning African champions to the second round of the World Cup where he kept two clean sheets. His heroics with Lille saw him go 1062 minutes without conceding a goal in the 2013/13 Ligue 1 season.

The Goal 50 title – presented by the world’s biggest single-sport website – is in recognition of a magnificent campaign during which Ronaldo led his club to a long-awaited 10th Champions League crown.

Ronaldo, 29, who also claimed the Copa del Rey, struck 51 goals in all competitions for club and country.
He shared the European Golden Shoe with Luis Suarez and also picked up the 2013 Fifa Ballon d’Or.

“It’s a very big honour for me to have been chosen as the best player,” Ronaldo told Goal at the trophy presentation held at Real Madrid’s pre-season training camp in Los Angeles.

“I’m sincerely grateful for this award. I also want to thank the fans for their support and for their passion for the game, which is what makes this sport so fascinating throughout the world.”

The Goal 50 is regarded as one of the most credible and respected awards in sport, chosen by over 600 Goal journalists, covering 35 editions around the world to a global audience of over 64 million users.

Voting takes place at the end of domestic and international seasons for the majority of countries.
Ronaldo heads this year’s list in front of second-placed Arjen Robben, who starred for Netherlands at the
World Cup and helped Bayern to four trophies in 2013-14.

Last year’s winner Lionel Messi finished third after another prolific season for club and country.

The Goal 50 has a track record of identifying many of the future stars of the game. Youngsters James Rodriguez and Thibaut Courtois featured in the 2013 list, and this year both made it into the top 10.

Commenting on the results, Graham Shaw, Goal’s Editorial Director, said: “Goal 50 gives a truly global view on the players who have lit up an epic season. Congratulations to Cristiano Ronaldo who fully deserves to top this year’s list after a sensational campaign.”

2014 Goal 50 – Top 10
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
2. Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich)
3. Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
4. Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich)
5. Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich)
6. James Rodriguez Oficial (AS Monaco)
7. Luis Suarez (Liverpool)
8. Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid)
9. Arturo Vidal (Juventus)
10. Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)

2014 Goal 50 – positions 11-50

11. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain)
12. Ivan Rakitić. (Sevilla)
13. Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid)
14. Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid)
15. Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund)
16. Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich)
17. Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund)
18. Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)
19. Yaya Toure (Manchester City)
20. Miralem Pjanić (AS Roma)
21. Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)
22. Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)
23. Keylor Navas (Levante)
24. Diego Godín (Atletico Madrid)
25. Javier Alejandro Mascherano (Barcelona)
26. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)
27. Vincent Enyeama (Lille)
28. Juan Cuadrado (Fiorentina)
29. Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
30. Neymar Jr. (Barcelona)
31. Joel Campbell (Olympiakos)
32. Blaise Matuidi -Page Officielle- (Paris Saint-Germain)
33. Enzo Pérez (Benfica)
34. Charles Aránguiz (Internacional)
35. Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain)
36. Daley Blind (Ajax)
37. Gervinho (AS Roma)
38. Paul Pogba (Juventus)
39. Rafael Marquez (Leon)
40. Abdelmoumene Djabou Officiel (Club Africain)
41. Robin van Persie (Manchester United)
42. David Silva (Manchester City)
43. Ciro Immobile (Torino)
44. Serge Aurier (Toulouse)
45. Yoshito Okubo (大久保 嘉人) (Kawasaki Frontale)
46. Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City)
47. Caner Erkin (Fenerbahce)
48. Nadir Belhadj (Al-Sadd)
49. Kim Shin-Wook (Ulsan Hyundai)
50. Tim Cahill (New York Red Bulls)