AMAVUBI STARS skipper Olivier Karekezi has confirmed that he will cast his vote for Manchester United midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo in the World Player of the Year award voting. The Portuguese international, 23 is favourites among the 23 players on the shortlist for the prestigious award.

In an e-mail to Times Sport yesterday, Karekezi said that Ronaldo deserves the World Player of the Year accolade after scoring an astonishing 42 goals last season to guide United to both the Champions League and Premier League titles.

"Ronaldo was the driving force behind United’s Premier League and Champions League double last season.

"His skills and strikes displayed (last season) leave me in no doubt as to whom I would vote for other than him,” Karekezi confessed.

Karekezi, who will vote as Rwanda’s national football team captain thinks Ronaldo in the strong contender to win the Fifa World Player of the Year award and the Ballon d’Or.

Ronaldo was recently named FifPro World Footballer of the Year, beating 54 other top players on the shortlist.

The honour, voted for by professional footballers from all over the world, was widely expected after Ronaldo scored 42 goals for United last season

Newly crowned FifPro world player of the year, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Messi are expected to be two of the front-runners for this year’s honour.

Fifa world player of the year 2008 shortlist: Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo), Sergio Aguero (Argentina), Andrei Arshavin (Russia), Michael Ballack (Germany), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Iker Casillas (Spain), Deco (Portugal), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Cesc Fabregas (Spain), Steven Gerrard (England), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Kaka (Brazil), Frank Lampard (England), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Franck Ribery (France), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), John Terry (England), Fernando Torres (Spain), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands), David Villa (Spain) and Xavi (Spain).

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