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If you take FIFA's word for it, and measure the most successful players of the last five years by first, second or third place in the FIFA World Player of the Year, then the best player in the world is Ronaldinho. He has finished first, first and third in 2004, 2005 and 2006 respectively.

The winner last year, though, in Italy's World Cup year, was Fabio Cannavaro. Second place, perhaps slightly embarassingly for the bureaucrats, went to Zenedine Zidane, presumably for the perfect timing of that headbutt.

The most successful countries have been Brazil, with Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, and France with Zidane and Henry.

England's only showing was for Frank Lampard, who was second in 2005. Lampard and Henry are the only two players playing in England to get placed. The really successful country is Spain, whose clubs provided ten of the fifteen players. None of them was Spanish though.

Perhaps showing an element of politics in the result, there has been one Brazilian and two Europeans each of the five years. The one exception is 2005, when Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o of Barcelona came third.

The biggest sign of where the money is in football is this. Every winner since the competition started in 1991, no matter where they're from, was playing for a European team. If you aren't in the Champions League, you aren't going to be Player of the Year.

And my nomination for this year's winner (this was written on April 5 2007)? Christiano Ronaldo. Not the most engaging of personalities, but every week you can see him on TV in the UK, winning another game for Manchester United.

Learn more about this author, Jon Eccles.
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