Cristiano Ronaldo wins FIFA best men's player award

PanARMENIAN.Net - Cristiano Ronaldo has been named The Best FIFA Football Player after a sensational 2016 which saw him secure a second Champions League crown with Real Madrid and lead Portugal to a historic European Championship triumph, The Daily Mail reports.

The 31-year-old star on Monday, January 9 once again grabbed blagging rights over rival Lionel Messi, having picked up the prestigious Ballon d'Or award last month ahead of the Barcelona forward.

Messi, who did not attend FIFA's The Best ceremony in Zurich due to Barcelona commitments, and Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann were both beaten by the Portuguese forward.

The former Manchester United star was the overwhelming favourite after a stellar 12 months in which he won Euro 2016, the Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup.

Ronaldo ended the year with 55 goals in 57 games for club and country but it was his success in the two big tournaments of the year that ultimately saw him claim the prize ahead of his rivals.

He played a crucial role as Real beat city rivals Atletico Madrid in May to become European champions for a record-extending 11th time.

Then two months later, Portugal triumphed at Euro 2016 in France to claim a major trophy for the first time — despite losing their captain to injury early on in the final against France.

Also Monday, Claudio Ranieri was named FIFA's best men's coach of 2016, after leading Leicester City to a fairytale Premier League title triumph, AFP says.

The Italian beat out France's Zinedine Zidane, who steered Real Madrid to Champions League glory in his first year as manager and Fernando Santos, the mastermind behind Portugal's Euro 2016 championship success.