The Bola de Ouro (Golden Ball) is an award given each year, since 1973, by the authoritative Brazilian magazine Placar to the best player in the Brazilian National Championship. It is practically the equivalent to a Footballer of the Year award. It is based on accrued points which players are given according to their performance after each matchday.

The award was not given in 1971 and 1972 but the following players had the best evaluation :

The Bola de Prata (Silver ball) is given to the best players in their respective position (forward, defender, etc.) on the same points system. Therefore, the Brazilian squad of the year is created (Winners are listed on the Portuguese language Wikipedia page - pt:Bola de Prata).

Team: Picasso (BAH), Humberto Monteiro (CAM), Brito (CRU), Reyes (FLA), Everaldo (GRE), Zanata (FLA), Dirceu Lopes (CRU), Samarone (FLU), Vaguinho (CAM), Tostão (CRU) e Paulo César Caju (BOT)

Team: Andrada (VAS), Humberto Monteiro (CAM), Pescuma (CTB), Vantuir (CAM), Carlindo (CEA), Vanderlei (CAM), Dirceu Lopes (CRU), Rivellino (COR), Antônio Carlos (ARJ), Tião Abatiá (CTB) and Edu (SAN)

Ouro Ali is a rural commune of the Cercle of Djenné in the Mopti Region of Mali. The commune includes the villages of Senossa, Koloye, Ouro Djikoye, Siratintin, Weraka, Wono, Kotola, Djimatogo, Ali Samba, Kandia and Somena. The administrative center (chef-lieu) is the village of Senossa. In the census of 2009 the commune had a population of 10,354.

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro,OIH, (born 5 February 1985), commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo became the most expensive footballer in history after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer worth £80 million (€93.9 million/$131.6 million). In addition, his contract with Real Madrid, in which he is paid €12 million per year, makes him one of the highest-paid footballers in the world, and his buyout clause is valued at €1 billion as per his contract.

Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, before moving to C.D. Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who signed him for £12.24 million (€15 million) in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup. He also played at Euro 2004 with Portugal and scored his first international goal in the opening game of the tournament against Greece, in addition to helping Portugal reach the final. He was featured in the UEFA Euro All-Star Team of this competition.

Zlatan Ibrahimović (Bosnian pronunciation: [ˈzlatan ibraˈxiːmɔʋitɕ]; born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Milan and the Swedish national team for which he is captain.

Ibrahimović started his career at Malmö FF in the late 1990s under Roland Andersson. He was signed by Ajax, and made a name for himself under Ronald Koeman. Years later, he signed with Juventus for €16 million. Ibrahimović gained fame in Serie A, benefiting from his strike partnership with David Trezeguet. In 2006, he signed with league rival Internazionale, where he won individual awards such as the Italian Oscar del Calcio and the Swedish Guldbollen, and was named in the 2007 and 2009 UEFA Team of the Year, in addition to finishing as the league's highest scorer in 2008–09 while winning three straight Scudetti. In the summer of 2009, he transferred to Barcelona for €69 million, the second highest transfer fee in football history. His time at Barcelona was short lived however; moving back to Serie A football with Milan the following season, in a deal which made him one of the highest paid footballers in the world and cost the Italian club a confirmed €24 million.

José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix, OIH, or simply José Mourinho (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒuˈzɛ moˈɾiɲu]; born 26 January 1963) is a Portuguese football manager, currently the head coach of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One". Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches, and critics as one of the best football coaches of all time. Mourinho started out as a player and eventually switched to management. After working as a physical education teacher and spells working as a youth team coach, a scout, and an assistant manager in the early 1990s, he became an interpreter for Sir Bobby Robson. He worked with Robson at Sporting Lisbon and Porto in Portugal, and Barcelona in Spain. He remained at the Catalonian club after Robson's departure and worked with his successor Louis van Gaal.

He began focusing on coaching and impressed with brief but successful managerial periods at Benfica and União de Leiria, taking the latter to their highest ever league finish. He returned to Porto in early 2002 as head coach, winning the Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal, and UEFA Cup in 2003. In the next season Mourinho guided the team to victory in the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, to the top of the league for a second time, and won the highest honour in European club football, the UEFA Champions League. Mourinho moved to Chelsea the following year and won the Premier League title, the club's first league title in 50 years, and the League Cup in his first season season. In his second year Chelsea retained the Premier League and in 2006-07 he took the club to an FA Cup and League Cup double, though they were league runners-up. He often courted controversy for his outspokenness, but his victories at Chelsea and Porto established him as one of the world's top football managers. Mourinho left Chelsea in September 2007, amidst reports of a rift with club owner Roman Abramovich.