Dubai: Cristiano Ronaldo is leading both the ‘Player of the Year’ and ‘Player of the Century’ categories of the 2020 Dubai Globe Soccer Awards at the end of the second and final stage of voting by fans at midnight on December 21.
More than 13 million fans voted for their favourites in the second stage, taking the aggregate of fan votes for this year’s Dubai Globe Soccer Awards, which is organised in collaboration with Dubai Sports Council and Dubai International Sports Conference, to more than 21 million. More than eight million fans had voted in the first round of voting.
The fan votes, however, have only 40 per cent weightage in deciding the winners. The votes by the Awards’ jury has a 60 per cent weightage and the final winners will be announced after taking the jury votes into count at a glittering ceremony at the Armani Hotel in Burj Khalifa on December 27.
The 35-year-old Ronaldo, who has won seven league titles in three different European countries, five Uefa Champions League and four Fifa Club World Cups, as well as Uefa European Championship and Uefa Nations League with Portugal, has received 38 per cent of the fans’ votes in the Player of the Century (2001-2020) awards, while Barcelona and Argentina ace Lionel Messi is a distant second with 24 per cent votes.
Liverpool and Egypt star Mohammed Salah is in third with 23 per cent of the votes, while former Brazilian ace Ronaldinho is fourth with 14 per cent of the votes.
In the fan votes for the ‘Player of the Year,’ Juventus ace Ronaldo has polled 42 per cent votes, while Lewandowski is second with 38 per cent and Messi third with 20 per cent.
In the battle for the Club of the Year, Bayern Munich – winner of the Champions League, Bundesliga, and DFB-Pokal treble – have polled the highest percentage of fan votes – 44 per cent – while Liverpool are a distant second with 33 per cent and Real Madrid are in third with 23 per cent.
Real Madrid, however, have received the majority of fans votes in the Club of the Century (2001-2020) awards, polling 36 per cent, while Egyptian powerhouses Al Ahli are second with 32 per cent. Barcelona are in third with 18 per cent of the votes while Bayern Munich have received 14 per cent of the votes.
In the battle for Coach of the Year, two Germans – Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp and Hans-Dieter Flick of Bayern Munich – are locked in a tight battle with 49 and 46 per cent of the fan votes, while Gian Piero Gasperini, manager of Italian club Atalanta, is a distant third with five per cent of the votes.
Guardiola ‘ahead’ of Zidane, Sir Alex
Spaniard Pep Guardiola, the former coach of Barcelona and Bayern Munich and now in charge of Manchester City, is on top of the voting for the Coach of the Century (2001-2020) with 34 per cent of the votes and he is followed by the French star and current Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane (30 per cent). Manchester United legend Alex Ferguson is third with 27 per cent of the votes, while the ‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho has received 8 per cent of the votes.
In the Agent of the Century (2001-2020) category, Portuguese ‘Super Agent’ Jorge Mendes tops the list with 66 per cent of the votes, ahead of Dutchman Mino Raiola (22 per cent), and Italy’s Giovanni Branchini (13 per cent).
VOTING TREND
Player of the Year: 1. Cristiano Ronaldo 42%; 2. Robert Lewandowski 38%; 3. Lionel Messi 20%
Club of the Year: 1. Bayern Munich 44%; 2. Liverpool 33%; 3. Real Madrid 23%
Coach of the Year: 1. Jürgen Klopp 49%; 2. Hans-Dieter Flick 46%; 3. Gian Piero Gasperini 5%
Player of the Century 2001-2020: 1. Cristiano Ronaldo 38%; 2. Lionel Messi 24%; 3. Mohammed Salah 23%; 4. Ronaldinho 14%
Club of the Century 2001-2020: 1. Real Madrid 36%; 2. Al Ahli 32%; 3. Barcelona 18%; 4. Bayern Munich 14%
Coach of the Century 2001-2020: 1. Josep Guardiola 34%; 2. Zinedine Zidane 30%; 3. Alex Ferguson 27%; 4. Jose Mourinho 8%
Agent of the Century 2001-2020: 1. Jorge Mendes 66%; 2. Mino Raiola 22%; 3. Giovanni Branchini 13%.