REAL MADRID STRIKER RONALDO WON FRANCE'S FOOTBALL MAGAZINE'S PRESTIGIOUS GOLDEN BALL AWARD ON MONDAY, BECOMING THE FIRST NON-EUROPEAN TO COLLECT THE PRIZE TWICE.

　　THE DYNAMIC STRIKER, WHO SCORED A TOURNAMENT-HIGH EIGHT GOALS IN THE WORLD CUP, COLLECTED 171 POINTS IN THE ANNUAL SURVEY OF 52 EUROPEAN JOURNALISTS TO WIN THE AWARD FOR THE BEST EUROPEAN-BASED PLAYER.

　　FELLOW BRAZILIAN ROBERTO CARLOS, WHO ALSO PLAYS FOR REAL MADRID, WAS SECOND IN THE BALLOTING, WITH 145 POINTS. OLIVER KAHN, THE BAYERN MUNICH GOALIE, PLACED THIRD FOR A SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR.

　　RONALDO SCORED BOTH GOALS AGAINST KAHN IN BRAZIL'S 2-0 WIN OVER GERMANY IN THE WORLD CUP FINAL LAST SUMMER, BUT THE GERMAN GOALIE WAS NAMED THE PLAYER OF THAT TOURNAMENT.

　　ON THE STAR-STUDDED CAST OF PLAYERS AT REAL MADRID, WHICH IS CURRENTLY THIRD IN THE SPANISH LEAGUE, RONALDO HAS SCORED FIVE GOALS THIS YEAR.

　　RONALDO, A TRANSFER FROM INTER MILAN THIS YEAR, DEBUTED IN THE SPANISH LEAGUE IN THE SECOND HALF OF AN OCTOBER 6 GAME AGAINST ALAVES. HE NETTED A GOAL WITHIN A MINUTE AND ADDED ANOTHER 13 MINUTES LATER.

　　HOWEVER, HE HASN'T SCORED ANY GOALS IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAY FOR THE SPANISH SIDE.

　　THE GOLDEN BALL AWARD WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1956, AND IS AWARDED TO THE BEST PLAYER IN EUROPEAN PROFESSIONAL SOCCER. LAST YEAR'S WINNER WAS LIVERPOOL STRIKER MICHAEL OWEN.

　　RONALDO ALSO WON THE AWARD IN 1997. NON-EUROPEANS HAVE BEEN ELIGIBLE FOR THE AWARD SINCE 1994.

　　THE BRAZILIAN MADE A RETURN TO COMPETITIVE GAME AFTER A TWO-YEAR LAYOFF FROM FOOTBALL DUE TO INJURY.

　　HE EARNED THE WRATH OF INTER MILAN FANS AFTER HIS CONTROVERSIAL MOVE TO REAL, ALMOST