The 1997 FIFA World Player of the Year award was won by Ronaldo, who became the first player to win the award two consecutive seasons. The ceremony took place at the Disneyland Paris, on January 12, 1998. 121 national team coaches, based on the current FIFA Men's World Ranking were chosen to vote. It was organised by European Sports Media, Adidas and FIFA.
Results
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!Rank!!Player!!Points!!Club(s)
|-
||1|| Ronaldo || 480 || Barcelona<br> Internazionale
|-
||2|| Roberto Carlos || 85 || Real Madrid
|-
||3=|| Dennis Bergkamp || 62 || Arsenal
|-
||3=|| Zinedine Zidane || 62 || Juventus
|-
||5|| Raúl || 51 || Real Madrid
|-
||6|| Alessandro Del Piero ||27|| Juventus
|-
||7|| Davor Šuker || 20 || Real Madrid
|-
||8=|| Gabriel Batistuta || 16 || Fiorentina
|-
||8=|| Alan Shearer || 16 || Newcastle United
|-
||10=|| Leonardo || 14 || Paris Saint-Germain<br> Milan
|-
||10=|| Peter Schmeichel || 14 || Manchester United
|}