Cristiano Ronaldo received more than twice as many points as Lionel Messi to be crowned the winner of the 2016 Ballon d’Or.
Ronaldo was named Europe’s best player of the calendar year for a fourth time at a ceremony on Monday night, topping a poll of 173 journalists worldwide.
The 31-year-old 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 talisman to injury early on in the final.
Ronaldo, who has so far scored 48 goals in 52 games for club and country during 2016, received 745 points in the voting, according to figures from Spanish daily Mundo Deportivo.
It is indeed a memorable year for Ronaldo as he wins the Champions League with Real Madrid and the European Championship with Portugal. Sports journalists from across the world voted to award Ronaldo his fourth Ballon d'Or in recognition of his remarkable achievements.
"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. 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,” Ronaldo said in accepting the award.
In a pre-recorded video, Ronaldo also expressed that this is the best year of his career.
"I never thought in my mind to win it four times, so I’m so pleased, I’m so happy. I have to thank all my teammates, the national team, Real Madrid, all the people, all the players who helped me win this individual award.”
Messi came second with 316 points, while third-placed Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid received 198 points.
In terms of Premier League players, Riyad Mahrez of Leicester finished highest in seventh place, with 20 points. Teammate Jamie Vardy was one position behind with 11 points.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic finished 13th with five points, while fellow Manchester United player Paul Pogba claimed joint-14th alongside Juventus’ Arturo Vidal, both finishing on four points.
Dimitri Payet was the final Premier League representative to receive any votes, and he finished joint-17th with a solitary point.
Eleven players did not receive a single vote. Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne, as well as Hugo Lloris of Tottenham, were nominated for the award, but failed to register a point.
The other players not to receive a vote were Paulo Dybala (Juventus), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) and Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid).
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