The FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala was held at the Kongreshaus in Zurich on Monday and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal walked away with the prestigious honour of FIFA Men’s Soccer player of the Year. The last time Ronaldo held the Ballon d’Or trophy was in 2008, when the trophy was brought to his home and he posed and gave interviews to the media.
The FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala was held at the Kongreshaus in Zurich on Monday and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal walked away with the prestigious honour of FIFA Men’s Soccer player of the Year. The last time Ronaldo held the Ballon d’Or trophy was in 2008, when the trophy was brought to his home and he posed and gave interviews to the media.
Back then he reached the top by racking in 42 goals with the additive of helping Manchester United win the Premier League.
In 2008 after winning the Ballon d;Or the Portuguese said – “I want more. I’m going back to square one. I’m starting my career again now.”
It is now six years later and he has finally managed to reach the helm again by scoring 69 goals in 2013 alone. Of course, the road to the Ballon d’Or for Crisitano Ronaldo was not easy as he was ruthlessly challenged by rivals Frank Ribery and Lionel Messi who ensured that he did not glide into the number one position freely. Ronaldo’s victory in the Ballon d’Or puts an end to Lionel Messi’s four year strangle hold on the trophy.
The ultimate winner of the Ballon d’Or this year was based on tallied votes from national team captains and coaches and selected journalists in FIFA’s 209 member countries. These parties all had to choose their top three preferences to win the trophy. At the end of the day, Ronaldo received 1,365 points, Messi received 1,205 and Ribery received 1.127, rendering Ronaldo the best male soccer player of the year.
After winning his second Ballon d’Or, Ronaldo said “I could not expect a better night than this one, even in my dreams. So I have to be proud of my work, what I did during the year. This is gonna give me motivation to work more, to dedicate myself more for the future and I hope to be here next year to try to win the third one.”
Writer: Andrew Laidley
Photo: Ronaldo (Getty Images)
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