Cristiano Ronaldo yesterday completed a clean sweep of football’s individual awards with the FIFA’s World Footballer of the Year award. As expected (at least by me) Leicester City’s gaffer Claudio Ranieri pipped Real boss Zinedine Zidane and Portugal manager Fernando Santos to the FIFA Best Coach of the Year award.
Ronaldo won continental crowns for club and country in 2016, winning the Champions League with Real Madrid and Euro 2016 with Portugal. He also claimed the Ballon d’Or and hit a hat-trick in the final as Zinedine Zidane’s men ended the year by bringing home the Club World Cup.
Ronaldo took 34.5 percent of the vote over 26.4 percent to Messi, who skipped the awards show co-hosted by US actress and former “Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria. Antoine Griezmann was third.
“This one,” Ronaldo said. “I think this has been the best year of my career, both individually and collectively. To win an important title with Portugal, that was one of the greatest moments of my career.
And he added: “Not forgetting the Champions League, in which I was the top scorer and best player.”
The 31-year-old hit the winning penalty as Madrid won La Undecima by beating city rivals Atletico in the Champions League showpiece at San Siro, and although he suffered injury in the final of Euro 2016, he contributed to the important results against Hungary, Croatia, Poland and Wales which saw Fernando Santos’ side make it to Paris.
Tearful as he limped off with knee ligament damage against France, the Madrid forward was back on the sidelines soon afterwards urging his team to victory and several players – including goalscorer Eder – claimed Cristiano had made them believe they could win it.
For Ranieri, he described his best coach honour as “incredible” after receiving the prize from Argentine football legend Diego Maradona.
FIFA Men’s Coach Award Claudio Ranieri
Under Ranieri’s leadership, Leicester pulled off one of the greatest shocks in English football history if not world football by defying title odds of 5,000-1 to lift the Premier League trophy last season.
Having miraculously avoided relegation the previous season, the Foxes rode that wave of momentum all the way to the title.
US midfielder Carli Lloyd scooped the best women’s player of 2016, the two-time Olympic gold medallist adding to her 2015 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year accolade. The American finished ahead of Brazilian star Marta and Germany’s Melanie Behringer.
The prizes were based on a combined voting process involving national team coaches and captains, a select group of journalists and fans.
