Cristiano Ronaldo, having scored a remarkable 42 goals in the entirety of the 2007-08 Premier League season, was justifiably tipped for awards at the time, and even then, with Player of the Month awards coming his way, it was hopeful to think that he might be nominated for FIFA's World Player of the Year award - one which has not come the Premier League's way in recent times.
Europe's Best
Having already notched up the European equivalent in December 2008, Ronaldo's imperious form throughout the entirety of the previous season was something to behold. As United won both the Premier League and the European Cup, he surpassed George Best's record of 32 goals in one season - that being the record for goals scored by a winger, the final tally even more impressive.
Winning the European Ball D'Or was another benchmark for the young midfield winger - his past counterpart George Best being the last Manchester United player to have won the award, back in 1968 - a time at which the team was not only under the beguiling power of an outstanding winger, but also when they were champions of Europe for the first time - two inherently eerie coincidences.
World's Best: What Next?
The unbelievable amount of speculation over the summer as to Ronaldo possibly moving to Real Madrid did nothing to dissaude any opinions on his prowess - and winning Player of the Year from the British sport writers and his fellow players would have done nothing to harm his chances. This amazing range of plaudits has finally culminated in Ronaldo's acceptance of the footballing world's biggest honour.
The question of what the winger might do next is an interesting one - there was much speculation that he would indeed go to Real Madrid, but that has failed to materialise. His season thus far has been a pale shadow of the last, with his finishing and general game having declined in quality - but his goalscoring record is 10 so far - a resurgence could propel this to higher levels.
What is apparent about Ronaldo is that he has developed in England from a young age into the world's best player without comparison - whilst he may not always perform consistently, he is the key to unlocking even the greatest defences, and the hallmark of 42 goals in one season, for a midfield player, is a record that is sure to remain for a long time to come.
