Romanian Striker Mutu, World’s Sixth Most Popular Footballer

Mutu was voted by 21,481 participants to the Federation’s poll, and was followed by FIFA World Player 2007 Kaka with 20,313 votes.

 

The world’s most popular footballer, with 1,017,786 votes, is Egyptian Mohamed Aboutreika, followed by Saudi Yasser Al-Qahtani and Iraqi Younis Mahmoud Khalaf.

 

IFFHS explained that such results are possible because Asia has about five times more inhabitants than Europe, the football fever in Egypt and Brazil exceeds by far that in Europe, countries in North Africa, the Middle East and western Asia have much in common and usually vote as one, while players who are constantly switching clubs for money do not enjoy much sympathy.