Cristiano Ronaldo: World Player of the Year?

Barca’s Ronadinho, Roma’s Francesco Totti and Inter Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic have all made compelling cases this season, but Paul Gardner believes that Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo is currently the world’s best player. And many of the English game’s best players agree.

Ronaldo’s United teammate, Wayne Rooney, who just 10 months ago was dumped out of the World Cup with England due to what many feel was the Portuguese winger’s insistence that his United teammate be sent off, has now shown that he’s one of Ronaldo’s biggest fans: “I’m delighted he is playing for us because at this moment he’s the best player in the world,” Rooney said. Former United legend David Beckham agrees: “The first time I saw him … I thought, ‘He is going to be one of the best players in the world,’ and I think he’s close to that now.”