MONTEVIDEO: Santos and Brazil striker Neymar has been voted South America’s best player for the second successive year by Uruguayan newspaper El Pais.

The competition is open only to footballers playing their football in South America and thus Barcelona’s Leo Messi has never been eligible for consideration

Neymar beat Corinthians striker Paolo Guerrero, who scored the winning goal in the Club World Club Final against Chelsea, and compatriot Lucas Moura.

The 20-year-old received 199 votes from sports journalists across Uruguay, giving him the award by some distance. Guerrero came in second with 50 votes.

Recent Paris Saint-Germain acquisition Lucas was third, with Ronaldinho Gaucho fourth and Fluminense’s Fred fifth.

The Santos striker continues to attract interest from the world’s biggest clubs but has insisted that he will stay at his boyhood club until after the World Cup in 2014.

Voting:

Neymar(Brasil) 199

Paolo Guerrero (Perú) 50

Lucas Moura (Brasil) 21

Ronaldinho (Brasil) 12

Fred (Brasil) 6

Juan Román Riquelme(Argentina) 5

Emerson (Brasil) 2

Andrés D`Alessandro (Argentina) 1

Teófilo Gutiérrez (Colombia) 1

Previous winners:

1986: ANTONIO ALZAMENDI (Uruguay)

1987: CARLOS VALDERRAMA (Colombia)

1988: RUBEN PAZ (Uruguay)

1989: BEBETO (Brazil)

1990: RAÚL VICENTE AMARILLA (Paraguay)

1991: OSCAR RUGGERI (Argentina)

1992: RAI (Brazil)

1993: CARLOS VALDERRAMA (Colombia)

1994: CAFU  (Brazil)

1995: ENZO FRANCESCOLI (Uruguay)

1996: JOSE LUIS CHILAVERT (Paraguay)

1997: MARCELO SALAS (Chile)

1998: MARTÍN PALERMO (Argentina)

1999: JAVIER SAVIOLA (Argentina)

2000: ROMARIO DE SOUZA FARIA (Brazil)

2001: JUAN ROMÁN RIQUELME (Argentina)

2002: JOSÉ SATURNINO CARDOZO (Paraguay)

2003: CARLOS TEVEZ (Argentina)

2004: CARLOS TEVEZ (Argentina)

2005: CARLOS TEVEZ (Argentina)

2006: MATÍAS FERNÁNDEZ (Chile)

2007: SALVADOR CABAÑAS (Paraguay)

2008: JUAN SEBASTIÁN VERÓN (Argentina)

2009: JUAN SEBASTIÁN VERÓN (Argentina)

2010: ANDRÉS D`ALESSANDRO (Argentina)

2011: NEYMAR (Brazil)

Pekerman top boss

Argentinian Jose Pekerman, national boss of Colombia, won the Coach of the Year award ahead of Argentina’s own Alejandro Sabella and Tite of Corinthians. The previos tweo years the prize had gone to Uruguay’s Oscar Washington Tabárez.

SA Coach of the Year voting

José Pekerman (Argentina) 63

Alejandro Sabella (Argentina) 54

Adenor Bachi “Tité” (Brazill) 54

Ricardo Gareca (Argentina) 42

Jorge Sampaoli (Argentina) 41

Óscar Tabárez (Uruguay) 25

Luis Fernando Tena (México) 12

Gerardo Martino (Argentina) 2

César Farías (Venezuela) 2

Antonio Mohamed (Argentina) 1

Eduardo Saragó (Venezuela) 1

PREVIOUS WINNERS:

1986 – CARLOS SALVADOR BILARDO (Argentina)

1987 – CARLOS SALVADOR BILARDO (Argentina)

1988 – ROBERTO FLEITAS (Uruguay)

1989 – SEBASTIAO LAZARONI (Brazil)

1990 – LUIS CUBILLA (Uruguay)

1991 – ALFIO BASILE (Argentina)

1992 – TELE SANTANA (Brazil)

1993 – FRANCISCO MATURANA (Colombia)

1994 – CARLOS BIANCHI (Argentina)

1995 – HECTOR NUÑEZ (Uruguay)

1996 – HERNAN DARIO GOMEZ (Colombia)

1997 – DANIEL PASSARELLA (Argentina)

1998 – CARLOS BIANCHI (Argentina)

1999 – LUIZ FELIPE SCOLARI (Brazil)

2000 – CARLOS BIANCHI (Argentina)

2001 – CARLOS BIANCHI (Argentina)

2002 – LUIZ FELIPE SCOLARI (Brazil)

2003 – CARLOS BIANCHI (Argentina)

2004 – LUIS FERNANDO MONTOYA (Colombia)

2005 – ANIBAL RUIZ (Uruguay)

2006 – CLAUDIO BORGHI (Argentina)

2007 – GERARDO MARTINO (Argentina)

2008 – EDGARDO BAUZA (Argentina)

2009 – MARCELO BIELSA  (Argentina)

2010 – ÓSCAR W. TABÁREZ  (Uruguay)

2011 – ÓSCAR W. TABÁREZ  (Uruguay)

2012 – JOSÉ PEKERMAN (Colombia)

Team of the Year voting

291 votes – Neymar (Brasil)

144 Lucas Moura (Brazil)

141 Matías Rodríguez (Chile)

129 Paolo Guerrero (Perú)

111 Cassio Ramos (Brazil)

108 Charles Aránguiz (Chile)

99 Ronaldinho (Brazil)

81 Sebastián Domínguez(Argentina)

78 Aquivaldo Mosquera (Colombia)

69 Paulinho (Brazil)

60 Yoshimar Yotún (Perú)

59 Walter Montillo (Argentina)

58 Juan Román Riquelme (Argentina)

56 Fred (Brazil)

57 Eugenio Mena (Chile)

55 Durval (Brazil)

54 Gino Peruzzi (Argentina)

53 Emerson (Brazil)

51 Clemente Rodríguez (Argentina); Rodrigo Braña (Argentina)

48 Oswaldo Vizcarrondo (Venezuela)

45 Lisandro López (Argentina); Ralf (Brazil); Pablo Guiñazú (Argentina)

42 Diego Cavalieri (Brazil); Juninho (Brazil)

33 Johnyy Herrera (Chile); Walter Ayoví (Ecuador)

32 Francisco Cerro (Argentina)

31 Marcos Rocha (Brasil); Réver (Brazil)

30 Juan Valencia (Colombia); Rolando Schiavi (Argentina)

28 Oswaldo González (Chile)

27 Sebastián Sosa (Uruguay)

24 Chicao (Brasil); Arouca (Brazil)

23 Leandro Castán (Brasil); Pabón +

21 Rogerio Ceni (Brazil); Toloi (Brazil); Leo Ponzio (Argentina); Macnelly Torres (Colombia); Luis Fabiano (Brazil)

18 Cristhoper Toselli (Chile); Carlos Sánchez (Uruguay);Luis Ramírez (Perú)

15 Rafael Cabral (Brazil); Gabriel Heinze (Argentina)

14 Andrés D`Alessandro (Argentina)

13 Juan Carlos Paredes (Paraguay)

12 Santiago Silva (Uruguay)

11 Marcelo Díaz (Chile); Rubén Botta (Argentina)

10 Agustín Orion (Argentina); Carlos Bonet (Paraguay); Scocco (Argentina)

9 Jorge Cazulo (Uruguay); Wason Rentería (Colombia); Teo Gutiérrez (Colombia);  Andy Pando (Perú)

7 Neicer Reasco (Ecuador)

6 Martín Silva (Uruguay)

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