Deco claims monthly prize
13 Sep 2008 - 09:45:22
Portugal international Deco has won the Barclays Player of the Month Award for August after making an impressive start to life at Chelsea.
The summer signing from Barcelona scored twice in August and also set up two more goals in only three appearances for Luiz Felipe Scolari's team.
He made his Blues debut in the 4-0 win against Portsmouth on the opening weekend of the campaign at Stamford Bridge, setting up Nicolas Anelka's goal before netting himself with a 25-yard strike.
His third-minute free-kick secured a crucial 1-0 win at Wigan Athletic and, from his corner, Juliano Belletti found the net in the 1-1 draw with Tottenham.
Deco is the first Chelsea player to win the award since Petr Cech in March 2007. The only other Portuguese player to collect the prize is Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo.
The decision was made by the Barclays Awards Panel, which includes representatives from football's governing bodies, the media and fans.