Cristiano Ronaldo picked up the accolade in the early hours of yesterday morning after winning 446 votes, with Ribery ending up 16th with just seven votes to his name.

After finishing seventh in the 2007 edition, the France midfielder has been left bemused by his tumbling down the rankings as he felt he had a superb year in Bayern's colours.

"Frankly, I am disappointed by my ranking. I should have deserved better," he told L'Equipe.

"Last year, I finished seventh having played six months for Marseille and six months at Bayern, without having won any titles.

"Here, I am 16th in the list at the end of a massive season with Bayern. We were champions of Germany, won the national cup and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup.

"I also picked up a number of individual awards, for example the best player in the Bundesliga. I achieved something amazing but you have to accept the verdict."

Ribery conceded Manchester United winger Ronaldo was a worthy winner, though, adding: "Personally, I would have voted for him."