Žigić the captain's choice

FK Crvena Zvezda forward Nikola Žigić has been voted Serbia and Montenegro's Player of the Year for the second time in three years in a poll of the captains of the 16 clubs in the First League, with Nemanja Vidić winning the award for foreign-based players.

Annual poll
Serbo-Montenegrin's daily newspaper Veèernje Novosti organises the poll every year, which is divided into two categories: players who feature in the domestic leagues, and those who ply their trade abroad. Žigić was the overwhelming winner in the former category, collecting 14 of the 16 available votes with Crvena Zvezda team-mate Aleksandar Luković winning the other two.

Scoring successes
The award is recognition of Žigić's impressive displays in 2005, having scored nine goals in the spring half of 2004/05 and struck seven times in the league in the opening part of the current campaign, also adding a further six goals in the UEFA Cup. In addition, Žigić has scored three goals in ten appearances for the Serbia and Montenegro national team, who he helped to next year's FIFA World Cup finals. The forward was also voted Player of the Year in 2003, with Marko Pantelić - now with Hertha BSC Berlin - taking the accolade last year.

Vidić acclaim
The best Overseas Player of the Year was FC Spartak Moskva's Vidić, who is on the verge of completing a transfer to Manchester United FC. The defender, a crucial part of the national side that conceded only once in World Cup qualifying, collected six votes to claim the award for the first time, succeeding FC Internazionale Milano midfielder Dejan Stanković, the winner in 2003 and 2004.