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Ivan Vicelich - Source: Photosport -
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All Whites' defender Ivan Vicelich and the Football Ferns' Ali Riley are Oceania's football players of the year for 2009.
The awards, announced today at the Oceania Football Confederation's meeting at Johannesburg, South Africa, on the eve of the World Cup, makes it the fourth straight year that a New Zealander has scooped the men's award.
All Whites skipper Ryan Nelsen won in 2006 with striker Shane Smeltz winning in 2007 and 2008. Wynton Rufer (1989, 1990, 1992) is the other New Zealander to have won the award.
Vicelich's recognition as Oceania's top male footballer follows a successful year for club and country.
The central defender's highlights include World Cup qualification with the All Whites and captaining Auckland City FC to an O-League title and a fifth-place finish at the Club World Cup in December last year.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for the 33-year-old veteran who retired from international play mid-way through 2008, only to step in for an injured Nelsen at the 2009 Confederations Cup.
Speaking from the All Whites team base in Johannesburg today, Vicelich said joining the elite list of winners meant a lot.
"It certainly has a lot of legends on it, so to accept this award is a great honour for me, he said.
Vicelich returned to New Zealand after an eight-year professional stint in the Netherlands with Roda JC and RKC Waalwijk.
"Coming back to New Zealand seems to have been the greatest move I've made in my career.
"It's great to be back at (Auckland's) Kiwitea Street and doing well on the Oceania front. And to qualify for the World Cup is one of the greatest moments in New Zealand sport."
Vicelich, who has earned 66 caps and scored six goals for his country, is now fully focused on the All Whites' World Cup campaign which begins on June 16 (NZT), against Slovakia at Rustenberg.
American-born Riley has been an integral part of the New Zealand women's team since her debut in 2007 and helped the Football Ferns to a credible fourth-place finish at the 2009 Cyprus Cup.
The 22-year-old fullback, who has a Kiwi father and Hawaiian mother, also had a breakthrough season in the United States.
Outstanding performances for W-League champions Pali Blues earned her a professional contract in the 2010 WPS League with FC Gold Pride, based in Santa Clara, California.
She credits her experiences with the Football Ferns as a key factor to her success.
"Playing for New Zealand has definitely helped me to achieve my dream of becoming a professional," said Riley, who also captains her Stanford University side.
"I have to thank coaches John (Herdman) and Tony (Readings) and the management staff but also of course my Football Ferns teammates who are just as deserving of this award.
"Hopefully I can help pave the way for more girls from Oceania to achieve their goals in football, particularly playing in the WPS or other professional leagues around the world."
The 2008 women's award was won by young Football Ferns striker Rosie White.
