Hot on the heels of perhaps the most electrifying season’s football, with goal-tally records aplenty beckoning from the back of the opposition net like the Sirens trying to lure Ulysses to his doom (a little bit of classic culture for you on a Monday morning), wunderkind Cristiano Ronaldo last night picked up the PFA Player of the Year award. Again.

Securing his second successive title should only serve to spur him on to greater things – making sure Manchester United triumph in the league, and that Portugal put on a display worthy of their attacking prowess at Euro 2008. The confidence boost of being recognised by one’s fellow professionals as the best player currently plying his trade must count for something when the shake-down comes to pass in SwissAustria (as I am contractually obliged never to refer to the host nations again). As for the likes of Torres and Fabregas who were passed over for the gong, what effect will that have on their tournament? Although Cesc did win the Young Player (for which Torres was also in the hunt – when does young not become young? Torres is 24, not long until he’s considered to be getting on).

So my advice is to look out for the confidence-boosted Iberian duo as they take their inflated egos to the Euros and, safe in the knowledge that the Premiership players think they are the best amongst them, delight and entertain the watching millions. The Castrol Performance Index only measures on-field feats, but you can rest assured that this award can only improve on what are already quite impressive achievements, and might even drag Ronaldo into the Top 20 Midfielders where he surely belongs. No doubt once the tournament starts he will pull up his socks (both metaphorically and literally – anyone notice he does that every time he is sitting on the floor with that grin on his face, looking at the ref?) and pull out some decent performances. Yes, he can act like a spoiled schoolboy, but he is undoubtedly one of the planet’s most gifted footballers, and it is surely only a matter of time before the international stats represent this.