Skip to main content

Ronaldo beats Messi to win his 4th Ballon D'or in 2016


Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or for a fourth time on Monday night, beating Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann to world football's top individual prize for 2016.
Ronaldo, who previously won the award in 2008, and in 2013 and 2014 when it was officially the FIFA Ballon d'Or, is only the second player to win it a total of four times, trailing only Messi's record of five.
The honour caps a memorable year that saw Ronaldo win the Champions League with Real Madrid and the European Championship with Portugal -- the country's first major footballing silverware.
"It is a special moment. It means that all my sacrifice was worth it. I feel very happy to win this. I worked very hard," Ronaldo said in accepting the award.
"A lot of people helped me get here, and it is not easy to get here. You can count on one hand players who maintain this level year after year. I am one of them, and that is a source of pride for me."
Real Madrid are preparing to take on Club America in the semifinals of the Club World Cup in Japan.
Ballon d'or France Football 2016 winner : CRISTIANO RONALDO#ballondor pic.twitter.com/ECa0u3L6EK
- France Football (@francefootball) December 12, 2016
Ronaldo, 31, has scored 51 goals in 54 games for club and country in 2016.
"This has been the best year of my career from both a team and individual level," Ronaldo said. "To win the title for Portugal was what was left to achieve on my resume and it was one of the most important moments. But to win Champions League as well with Real Madrid was huge.
"It is a huge honour to win the Ballon d'Or. I am very happy. This is a dream come true and it is the fourth time. I feel very proud. This win is for my teammates in both the club and the national team. It is incredible to earn this trophy again."
Messi, 29, who has won the award in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015, won La Liga and the Copa del Rey with Barcelona and helped Argentina to the Copa America Centenario final in 2016.
Griezmann, 25, was recognised after winning the Golden Boot at Euro 2016, a tournament in which he helped France reach the final. He also played an important role for Atletico as they reached the Champions League final, which they lost on penalties to Real.
Earlier this year, magazine France Football, which has organised the Ballon d'Or award since 1956, ended a six-year relationship with FIFA in which they combined with the world football governing body's World Player of the Year award.
After the split, FIFA announced the introduction of its own Best FIFA Men's Player award -- with the same three finalists -- to be announced at a ceremony in Zurich on Jan. 9.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ebonyi Partners Indian Government To Establish Electric Car Assembly Plant, and Others

Ebonyi State Government is seeking to partner with Indian Government to establish an Electric Automobile Assembly plant in the state. To this end, Governor David Umahi, paid a visit to the Indian High Commission in Abuja on Wednesday where he was received by the High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Abhay Thakur. The Governor, according to a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze was there to seek for partnership on importation and establishment of an assembling plant of Electric Mode Automobiles. Speaking during the visit, Mr Umahi noted that Electric Mode Automobile is not only a technology of tomorrow but a technology that cuts cost. He further revealed that his key interest in the partnership includes importation of the sample electric powered tricycles, buses, motorcycles and cars while establishment of assembly plant for same will follow. The governor enumerated other areas which he equally wants partnership. The areas include agriculture with poultry...
1 comment
Read more

Mother Fakes Son’s Kidnap To Extort N5m From Husband

A mother of two has been arrested by the Department of State Security Service for allegedly kidnapping her own son and demanding a ransom of N5 million from her husband. Security and family sources confirmed that the woman identified as Baraka, connived with one Rukayya and another accomplice who called the husband, pretending to be the kidnapper, and demanded the N5 million ransom. Police Public Relations Officer, Asp Bitrus Noam, confirmed the incident, saying the case was with the Department of State Security Service. A source close to the family confided in our correspondent that the woman’s husband who was left in a state of confusion and reported the case to the SSS after negotiating with the fake abductor to pay N2 million. “He alerted the SSS after repeated calls and text massages discussing the said ransom. “Investigation by the SSS operatives led to the arrest of the mother who confessed to have stage-managed her son’s kidnap,” he said, revealing that the accused wife had ea...
Post a Comment
Read more

Obasanjo blasts Awujale of Ijebuland

Kabiyesi you are petty and a liar - Olusegun Obasanjo's open letter to The Awujale & Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, December 30, 2016 His Royal Highness, Oba Alaiyeluwa S. K. Adetona, The Awujale & Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Adetona Road, P. O. Box 263, Ijebu Ode. The extract from your Autobiography “Awujale: The Autobiography of Alaiyeluwa Oba S. K. Adetona, Ogbagba II”, published by Mosuro Publishers 2010, pp. 187-195, which I attach to this letter was presented to me for my attention. Your assertion in the publication was a tissue of lies and untruths. Olopade is one of my best friends and yes, I would be at his birthday celebration but I would not have invited Mike, your cousin, to meet me anywhere other than my office or official residence as President of Nigeria. Kabiyesi, do you think I would set the press up to capture me and Mike in a photograph for the newspapers? That would be puerile of me as President. Of course, I could not say that Mike could not...
Post a Comment
Read more