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| Real Madrid and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo kisses the trophy after winning The Best FIFA Men’s Player of 2017 Award during The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony, on October 23, in London. - AFP Photo |
Viet Nam News
LONDON — Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunning last season saw him win the 2017 Best FIFA men’s player of the year trophy as Real Madrid dominated a star-studded awards ceremony in London on Monday.
The Portuguese ace, who has scored 44 goals in just 48 games for club and country so far this calendar year, played a major role in Real winning both La Liga and the Champions League.
He scored twice in a 4-1 win over Juventus in the continental final at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on June 3.
Ronaldo saw off competition from longstanding Barcelona rival Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar, the world’s most expensive player.
Real boss Zinedine Zidane took the corresponding manager of the year award, with the Spanish giants providing five players in the FIFPro team of the year.
Ronaldo won the inaugural Best FIFA men’s player of the year award last year following the end of a six-year merger between the FIFA honour and the Ballon D’Or.
The 32-year-old previously won the FIFA World Player of the Year award, the precursor to the Best FIFA award, in 2008.
"Thanks a lot for voting for me," said the former Manchester United favourite after receiving his trophy from Argentina great Diego Maradona and Brazil’s Ronaldo at the London Palladium theatre.
"I mention Leo and Neymar, great to be here. Real Madrid supporters, my team-mates, my coach, they all support me all year.
"We are in England for the first time and I win consecutive awards," he added. "This is a great moment for me. I have fans all over the world."
Zidane won out ahead of Chelsea’s Antonio Conte and Juventus’s Massimiliano
Allegri to be crowned men’s coach of the year after becoming the first man to oversee a successful defence of the European Cup in the Champions League era.
"I’d like to thank all of the players for making this possible," said Zidane. "This is a very special prize."
Real’s superb campaign was recognised in a FIFPro team that featured Ronaldo and club-mates Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Marcelo and Sergio Ramos.
The XI also included FIFA’s goalkeeper of the year, Gianluigi Buffon.
AC Milan’s Leonardo Bonucci and PSG’s Dani Alves were in the defence, with Barcelona playmaker Andres Iniesta in a side also featuring Messi and Neymar. — AFP
