Winning third 'La Liga' Player of the Year - Another hat-trick for CR7

Posted Saturday, July 12, 2014 by Marca.com

Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo has been nominated player of the year for the 2013-14 Spanish League season and picks up the Di Stéfano Trophy in the process, the award MARCA bestows upon who it considers to have been the most outstanding player in 'la Liga' that year. The Portuguese striker has won the award for the last three seasons.

Cristiano Ronaldo received the most votes from a jury formed by an illustrious group of players chosen each week by readers of MARCA.com.

The Portuguese international, the highest scorer in 'la Liga', got 35 votes, ahead of Diego Costa, who only received 16. The Spanish international had a brilliant season at Atlético and was responsible for most of their goals. Barça striker Leo Messi found himself in third place with seven votes, following a notable second half of the season.

MARCA first awarded the Di Stéfano Trophy at the end of in 2007-08 season which was won by another legendary Real Madrid player, Raúl González. Then Leo Messi exerted his hegemony on the trophy for the next three years. The Argentine forward was nominated best player in 'la Liga' for the 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11seasons.

Real Madrid's league title victory in the 2011-12 season was in large part down to Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese star has quite a collection of awards to his name, including the Golden Boot and the Ballón d'Or, on top of winning the Di Stéfano Trophy for the next two seasons. So this year's nomination makes it a hat-trick for the Real Madrid number one.