Cristiano Ronaldo wins FIFA Ballon d'Or

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA Ballon d'Or for the second time, managing to get more votes than Argentina's Lionel Messi.

According to The Guardian, Ronaldo spoke with tears in his eyes as he collected the trophy. "First of all I have to say a great thanks to all of my teammates with the club and the national team."

Ronaldo added, "Without all of their efforts this would not have been possible. I am very happy, it is very difficult to win this award." He also made sure to thank his wife and son during the FIFA Awards Ceremony in Switzerland.

The 28-year-old last won the Ballon d'Or in 2008 when he was playing for Manchester United. For the 2013 season, Ronaldo managed to be the fastest Real Madrid player to get to 200 goals, while he also managed to average over a goal a match.

He beat out Messi, who has won the Ballon d'Or every year since 2009. Messi was slowed during the year with an injury. Frenchman Franck Ribery came third in voting. Ronaldo managed to take 27.99 percent of the vote compared to Messi's 24.72 percent and Ribery's 23.36 percent.

Voting for the Ballon d'Or is open to national team coaches and captains as well as some journalists. FIFA and France Football magazine picks the eligible journalists.

image: Getty Images/Image.net

WordPress › Error

There has been a critical error on your website.

Learn more about debugging in WordPress.