Another golden moment for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal and Real Madrid star, Cristiano Ronaldo, won the 2014 FIFA Ballon d’Or. Ronaldo won the award over arch-rival Lionel Messi (Argentina, FC Barcelona) and Manuel Neuer (Germany, FC Bayern).
Based on voting tallies, the results weren’t close.
Cristiano Ronaldo received 37.66% of all votes ahead of Lionel Messi (15.76%) & @Manuel_Neuer (15.72%). Sky Sports 5: http://t.co/xLNnJeVKYy
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 12, 2015
There were other awards at FIFA’s gala tonight. Not all of them were without controversy, however.
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FIFA XI
Most depressing thing for me is that FIFA/FIFPro XI 55-man shortlist comes from just 11 teams. #spreadthewealth
— Gabriele Marcotti (@Marcotti) January 12, 2015
David Luiz in Fifa/FIFPro World XI for 2014, which is voted for by players worldwide. That's almost as alarming as Fifa's Qatar 2022 vote.
— Oliver Kay (@OliverKayTimes) January 12, 2015
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WOMEN’S BALLON d’OR
https://twitter.com/liviubird/status/554714029579456512
PUSKAS GOAL OF THE YEAR
The nominees: Colombia’s James Rodriguez, Ireland’s Stephanie Roche and Netherlands’ Robin van Persie. It was a relatively close one, but Roche was unable to overtake Rodriguez’ World Cup golazo.
James’ wondergoal in the World Cup earns the Puskas Award for goal of the year https://t.co/m7lKZFnCaR Beats finalists RVP, Stephanie Roche
— Planet Fútbol (@si_soccer) January 12, 2015
¡@jamesdrodriguez, ganador del Premio Puskás 2014 de la FIFA! ¡Enhorabuena! #BallondOr pic.twitter.com/T1xTUmoRZw
— Real Madrid C.F.⚽ (@realmadrid) January 12, 2015
Personally I think the @StephanieRoche9 volley should of won. Comfortably too actually. Game of opinions I guess
— Sone Aluko (@sonealuko) January 12, 2015
Very Proud to receive 1.1million votes. Congrats to James. A fantastic experience & thanks to everyone (across the world) for your support!
— Stephanie Roche (@StephanieRoche9) January 12, 2015
THE NIGHT WAS REALLY ABOUT ONE MAN – DESPITE WHAT SOME DESIRED
"Being in goal makes me happy." – Manuel Neuer
It makes us happy too, you big, scary man.
— My Son Awareness Month (@JamesTylerESPN) January 12, 2015
Voted for Manuel Neuer but congratulations to Cristiano Ronaldo for winning the 2014 Ballon D'OR award. Well Deserved. #Inspiration
— Bill Hamid (@BillHamid28) January 12, 2015
Cristiano Ronaldo wins the Ballon d'Or as the world player of the year for the third time, ahead of Lionel Messi & Manuel Neuer. Good call.
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) January 12, 2015
Congrats Ronaldo! You’ve inspired future #BallonDOr nominees whose countries fail to escape their #WorldCup groups!
— Church of Soccer (@churchofsoccer) January 12, 2015
Congrats to #CristianoRonaldo! 3x #BallondOr! Respect!
— Mesut Özil (@MesutOzil1088) January 12, 2015
https://twitter.com/Futbol_AI_Dia/status/554715489121746945
Glückwunsch an @Cristiano zum Gewinn des #BallondOr!
— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) January 12, 2015
Most RTd #Ballondor tweet: by @NiallOfficial of @onedirection. Great to see @fifacom in Top5. https://t.co/lJP5xoQtHP pic.twitter.com/yEKxqBrEvt
— Alex Stone (@AlexStone7) January 12, 2015
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SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE
According to Topsy.com, the breakdown for number of tweets in the past day (below):
Ahh, the vote. Well, it is FIFA we’re dealing with here.
The annual disclaimer about all Ballon d'Or notes: non-Europeans weren't eligible until 1995, thus the absence of Pelé, Maradona, etc.
— Paul Carr (@PaulCarr) January 12, 2015
FIFA will release the choices of each voter for World Player of the Year … but still won't release the votes for World Cups '18 and '22.
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) January 12, 2015
For a full list of voters and their selections, click the link in the tweet below:
Of the 182 captains voting in Ballon D'Or, 82 of them (45%) found NO place for Messi in their top three: http://t.co/iYMWV6wRnB
— Nick Harris (@sportingintel) January 12, 2015
CRISTIANO’S SOCIAL DAY
When I monitored the Ballon d’Or last year, one of the things I paid close attention to was Cristiano Ronaldo’s social strategy. In 2013, Cristiano and his team released his own site (app): Viva Ronaldo. Shortly after he won the award last year, the news was shared first on his own site. This year, it was shared within moments of the announcement – before any of his other social accounts were updated.
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One thing I watch for from teams, brands, athletes is what they are sharing on each platform. What I say is not gospel when it comes to social media. Too many in social media believe that how they use social meida is how it should be done. I used to think like that. But, social media has become too big, too embedded in our daily lives, too varied for me to say it should be done a certain way.
That said, I do believe that the content should vary from platform to platform. Give followers a reason to follow on that platform. Otherwise, why should they follow on Twitter if it’s the same content on Facebook?
Ronaldo’s team shared the same content on each platform.
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It's an unforgettable moment
in my life to win the Ballon d’Or for the third time! I fee… http://t.co/OnVq1Ut2eP pic.twitter.com/n0sUmGCRo4— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) January 12, 2015
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[fb_embed_post href=”https://www.facebook.com/Cristiano/photos/a.407367867163.178908.81221197163/10153091432822164/?type=1&theater/” width=”550″/]
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Google+
https://plus.google.com/114425054168303704505/posts/duBKuLUCFJK
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FINAL THOUGHTS: Notice a pattern? Same content. Same time. Different platforms. Side note: the Facebook post shows up on his VivaRonaldo.com.
Granted, an athlete of Cristiano’s magnitude, his fans will follow him anywhere and everywhere. But, that’s not the case for every athlete and team. A team, league, school or athlete, even a sports brand, that isn’t of Ronaldo’s stature, shouldn’t be on every platform. Each platform requires observation and trial-and-error. Find what works within your strategy. Devote time to making it work. Success on the pitch, field or court doesn’t happen overnight – so why expect it to happen on social media?
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