Ronaldinho named Europe's finest

France Football
The 25-year-old Brazilian international beat off competition from Chelsea FC midfielder Frank Lampard and Liverpool FC captain Steven Gerrard, in second and third places respectively, to become the third Brazilian to land the coveted prize, which went to AC Milan's Andriy Shevchenko in 2004. The Ballon d'Or is organised by France Football magazine and its winner decided by a poll of European soccer journalists.

Two trophies
The announcement comes as little surprise given the year Ronaldinho has had. In addition to scoring nine goals in 35 games as Barcelona won their first Spanish championship since 1999, he also starred for his country in Brazil's victorious FIFA Confederations Cup campaign in Germany last summer.

Glorious goals
Moreover, if his last-gasp winner against Milan in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League group stage was not enough to leave purists purring, his seemingly impossible strike at Chelsea FC in the Round of 16 not only confirmed his footballing genius - it defied physics.

Smiling countenance
If anything, however, Ronaldinho embodies the soul of the sport rather than the science, playing most games with a smile on his face and winning hearts and minds - as well as matches - with his pleasant nature. And if UEFA Champions League glory eluded him in 2004/05, the FIFA World Cup winner has already inspired Barça's domination of Group C this season with five goals in five Matchdays so far.

New level
Having been named FIFA World Player of the Year for 2004 after some illuminating displays for the Catalan club following his €30m move from Paris Saint-Germain FC in the summer of 2003, he now appears to have taken the Brazilian tradition of self-expression to a new level - seemingly inventing a new trick every game he plays.

'Special player'
His coach at Camp Nou, Frank Rikjaard, insisted it would have been wrong for anyone else to scoop the award. "Ronaldinho is a unique player," he said. "He's the reason lots of people come to watch our matches. He's a special player in the world of football and he totally deserves the Ballon d'Or."

Half century
It was timely, then, that he should celebrate his 50th goal for the Blaugrana on Sunday, scoring a penalty to complete a 4-1 Primera División triumph against Real Racing Club Santander. Of those strikes, 15 have come from the spot and eight from free-kicks, with 13 in UEFA club competition.