Cristiano Ronaldo will be honoured for an outstanding season when he collects the Footballer of the Year Award at the Football Writers' Association 60th anniversary dinner in London tomorrow night. The 22-year-old Manchester United winger has already collected a plethora of accolades after helping drive his team towards the Barclays Premiership title, and potentially an FA Cup double. Ronaldo was earlier this week named the United fans and players' player of the year, as well as scooping both the awards from the Professional Footballers' Association - the first man to win each category in the same season since Andy Gray in 1977. The Portugal winger certainly has come full circle after he faced an uncertain future following the adverse publicity he received for his part in England's World Cup demise during the summer. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will also attend the gala event at the Royal Lancaster Hotel to honour one of his star men, who recently agreed a new five-year deal with the Old Trafford club.
Chairman of the FWA, Paul Hetherington said: "Cristiano has picked up every award in sight - which is an indication of the superb season he has had. "The football writers' have clearly got their choice right as the Footballer of the Year, which shows there have been no agendas carried over from the World Cup last summer. "Even though Cristiano has already been presented with many awards, we believe tomorrow night will be be a very special occasion for him."
Former England captain Alan Shearer - voted Footballer of the Year himself when at Blackburn in 1994 - will propose the toast of the FWA, which was formed back in 1947. Hetherington added: "This is the original of all awards to honour the outstanding footballer of the season. "It is our 60th anniversary - we started off with a famous winger in Sir Stanley Matthews as our first winner and now our latest recipient is also a winger blessed with breathtaking skills."
However, if anyone thinks the Portugal superstar will be satisfied with one season of glory, they have got it badly wrong. He said: "I am at a great club, with great players. We should be looking to win something every year. "This season is not over yet either. We still have a chance to win the double and, while you can never say who will win any match, the confidence in the team is high and I believe we have a good chance."
