AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko, seen here October 2004, said that winning the European Footballer of the Year award was the perfect way to end an unforgettable 12 months. (AFP)

AC Milan's Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko was named European footballer of the year for 2004.

The 28-year-old becomes the third Ukrainian to win the award after Oleg Blockhin in 1975 and Igor Belanov in 1986, who both appeared for the then-Soviet Union.

Shevchenko, with 175 votes, beat off competition from two Barcelona players, Portugal's Brazilian-born midfielder Deco and Ronaldinho of Brazil, with 139 and 133 votes respectively.

"I'm very pleased to have received this award," said Shevchenko. "I want to dedicate this to the Ukrainian people. I offer this 'Golden Ball' to my people.

"It is difficult to speak of the situation in Ukraine, but it is clear that people in Ukraine deserve democracy," he said in reference to the fragile political situation in the country after a first presidential election run-off , officially won by the country's pro-Moscow prime minister, was annulled by the supreme court because of fraud.

Known as the Ballon D'Or (Golden Ball), the prestigious prize was created by the French football magazine France Football in 1956. Voting is undertaken by a group of European football journalists.

Shevchenko has scored 102 goals in Serie A since signing from Dynamo Kiev five years ago in a 37.5-million-euro transfer.

He became the first foreigner to top the scoring charts in a debut season in Italy with 24 goals in 32 matches.

Shevchenko is also in the running for FIFA's world player of the year, along with Arsenal's French striker Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho, to be announced on December 20.

(Agencies)

beat off: （擊敗）

run-off : （決定性競選）