And the RSS player of the season is...

[milivella]

Goalkeeper: Julio Cesar
Defender: Rio Ferdinand
Midfielder: Xavi
Forward: Messi
Overall: Messi

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Here are the complete results, but remember that it's not sure that
the second midfielder is the second best midfielder for the RSS
collective mind!

Goalkeeper
5 Julio Cesar
4 Casillas
1 Buffon, Enke, Howard, Valdes

Defender
7 Ferdinand
5 Daniel Alves
3 Maicon, Puyol
1 Evra, Jagielka, Lahm, Pique, Vidic

Midfielder:
12 Xavi
6 Iniesta
2 Gerrard, Kaka
1 Barry, Felipe Melo, Messi, Veron

Forward:
7 Messi
3 Cristiano Ronaldo
2 Rooney
1 Eto'o, Luis Fabiano, Forlan, Ibrahimovic, Kaka, Nilmar, Torres,
Villa

Overall
7 Messi
3 Iniesta
2 Gerrard
1 Luis Fabiano, Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi

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Let me remind you the previous winners:

2006-07
Goalkeeper: Cech
Defenders: Daniel Alves, Vidic
Midfileder: Kaka
Forward: Van Nistelrooy
Overall: Kaka

2007-08
Goalkeeper: Casillas
Defenders: Vidic
Midfileder: Ribery
Forward: Cristiano Ronaldo
Overall: Cristiano Ronaldo

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Cheers
milivella

[milivella]

My two cents (you are invited to post your opinions!):

- Messi best player overall (and best forward) is not a surprise. Just
like Ronaldo in 2007-08 and Kaka in 2006-07. It seems that the best
attacking player in the UCL winning team (or the UCL top scorer,
or...) always wins the award (it will be interesting next year, after
a WC). At least, we gave them the award months before France Football,
FIFA, etc. And the best player in the other positions is never so
predictable...

- ...even if silverware helps: all the awarded player won the national
league title (in one of the "top 3" leagues), and 3 out of 5 awards
went to UCL winners; more, Julio Cesar won the Confederations Cup.

- While in the two previous seasons the trend was "less agreement
about defenders than about any other position", this year Ferdinand as
best defenders had the same numbers of votes as Messi as best forward
and as best player overall, and more than Julio Cesar as best
goalkeeper.

- In the previous two seasons, Messi only had 1 vote as best forward
in 2006-07. OTOH, previous winners (Kaka, C. Ronaldo) have some votes
this season.

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Cheers
milivella