Sun Hei defender Cristiano Cordeiro is footballer of the year for the second time.
But the Brazilian won't know about his success because he was absent from last night's Sunray Cave Top Footballer Awards on holiday. Somebody from his club will have to relay the good news to him as he soaks up the sun and relaxes in Brazil. Cordeiro also won in 2001 but this honour will mean more to the player, who recovered from a broken ankle last year to enjoy his best season to date.
Sun Hei clubmate Lee Kin-wo, who was among the 11 top players honoured during the ceremony, praised Cordeiro's hard work and persistence.
'To come back from a broken ankle is hard for any player, but Cris showed spirit and commitment throughout the season,' said Lee. 'To play to that sort of standard after such a mishap is really very hard. All credit to him and Cris fully deserved the award.'
Cordeiro's award, the most prestigious given by the Hong Kong FA, was voted by the local press, public and a voting panel and was worth $40,000 to him.
Picking up two awards last night was Happy Valley goalkeeper, Fan Chun-yip, who was voted the most popular footballer in an internet poll. Fan garnered 894 votes, 54 more than Cordeiro.