2005 Ballon d'Or
The 2005 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was delivered to the Brazilian midfielder Ronaldinho on 28 November 2005.[1] On 24 October 2005, was announced the shortlist of 50 male players compiled by a group of experts from France Football.[2] There were 52 voters, from Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Wales and Yugoslavia. Each picked a first (5pts), second (4pts), third (3pts), fourth (2pts) and fifth choice (1pt).[3]
Ronaldinho was the third Brazilian to win the award after Rivaldo (1999) and Ronaldo. Petr Čech (Czech Republic) was the top ranked goalkeeper in the list, at 14th place. Paolo Maldini (Italy) was the best ranked defender, at sixth, while Thierry Henry (France) was the top-ranked forward, at fourth place.[3]
Rankings
Voted players
Non-voted players
The following 26 men were originally in contention for the 2005 Ballon d’Or, but did not receive any votes:
References
- BBC Sport staff (28 November 2005). "Ronaldinho scoops European award". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 30 November 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- Record staff (24 October 2005). "Deco, Figo e Ronaldo candidatos à Bola de Ouro 2005" [Deco, Figo and Ronaldo nominated for 2005 Golden Ball]. Record (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- Pierrend, José (29 January 2006). "European Footballer of the Year ("the best 2005". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2008.