Real Madrid football player Cristiano Ronaldo, was named the world’s best footballer at the 2017 Best FiFA Football Awards in London on Monday evening.
The 32 year-old Portuguese forward, won the prize after he helped Real win the Spanish League, UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, Spanish Super Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
Ronaldo is the first player in history to win four European Golden Shoes, awarded by French magazine ‘France Football’. He began his senior club career playing for Sporting Club in Portugal, before signing with Manchester United at age 18 in 2003. In 2009, he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer worth €94 million.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi once again came first and second in the Best FIFA awards last night while Paris Saint-Germain player, Neymar, came in third.
Ronaldo received 43.16 percent of the total votes and was presented with the 2017 award by Diego Maradona and former Brazil striker Ronaldo Luís Nazário at the London ceremony.
The French coach of Real Madrid, Zin el-Din Zidane was honored as the best men’s coach at the award ceremony.
Zidane beat out the two coaches of Chelsea and Juventus, Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri, to claim the prize for the first time after winning five championships in 2016/17.
Thirty-nine-year-old Italian goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon, snagged the FIFA Best Goalkeeper award, beating Bayern Munich goalie, Manuel Neuer, after he guided Juventus to a sixth consecutive Serie A title.
Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud won the Puskas Award at the FIFA Best Football ceremony in London. Giroud scored an outstanding scorpion kick for Arsenal against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on New Year’s Day.
Edited Translation from al-Masry al-Youm
