Player of the Month Awards: May 2013
After a week of voting and thousands of votes, Sportskeeda’s readers have decided who their Players of the Month for May are. Here are the winners:
Goalkeeper of the month: Simon Mignolet, Sunderland and Belgium
The Belgian played three crucial fixtures for the Black Cats against high-scoring oppositions but managed to concede just three goals, contributing heavily towards his side’s survival in the Premier League.
Mignolet will now have to play at the World Cup qualifiers with the national team. Two more crucial fixtures against Serbia and Scotland could allow him to prove his mettle as a quality goalkeeper.
It is rumoured that Mignolet will move to a bigger club this summer or the following winter, with Arsenal and Liverpool touted to be possible destinations.
With over 43% of the votes, Simon Mignolet is our Goalkeeper of the Month for May.
Defender of the Month: Laurent Koscielny, Arsenal and France
The return of the Frenchman to the Gunners’ starting XI has seen them win nine of their last eleven games. He was crucial in helping the Gunners secure a narrow win away at relegated Queens Park Rangers before putting in another workmanlike display in a 4-1 win at the Emirates that sent Wigan Athletic to the Championship.
But he saved his best performance for the last day of the season as he kept Newcastle at bay and then prodded home the game’s only goal from Per Mertesacker’s flick-on in the 52nd minute to allow the Gunners a shot at playing in the Champions League next season.
With a staggering 75% of the votes, Laurent Koscielny is our defender of the month for May.
Midfielder of the Month: Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid and Portugal
Cristiano started the month in blistering fashion, grabbing 2 goals in a stellar performance against Real Valladolid in a 4-3 home win. He then put in a second successive Man of the Match display, providing 2 assists and scoring one in a 6-2 demolition of Champions League quarter-finalists Malaga. After a lackluster showing in a drab draw against Espanyol, Ronaldo scored early on in the Copa del Rey final against Atletico Madrid, but he then received a red card as Atletico overturned the deficit to win 2-1. Overall, a good month for the Portuguese phenomenon, netting 3 Man of the Match awards in 4 matches.
With over 32% of the votes, Cristiano Ronaldo is our midfielder of the month for May.
Striker of the Month: Mario Balotelli, AC Milan and Italy
Balotelli hasn’t stopped scoring ever since returning to his native Italy and the month of May was no different. In 4 games for the Rossoneri in the month of May, the ex-Manchester City man scored 4 by himself as he guided Milan to a comfortable 3rd place finish, finishing the campaign on a 5-game unbeaten streak.
Balotelli has really seemed comfortable back in Milan. Residing at Brescia, the city where he grew, also has seemed to settle him down, away from the constant pressure of the English press. The eccentric talent that is Mario Balotelli has let his feet do the talking rather than his t-shirts or other media and the results have been quite advantageous for both him and his team.
With over 37% of the votes, Mario Balotelli is our striker of the month for May.