Real Madrid’s Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo (centre) receiving the FIFA Men’s World Player of the Year 2013 award from FIFA President Sepp Blatter (right) during the Ballon d’Or 2013 gala at the Kongresshaus in Zurich, Switzerland, yesterday.
ZURICH: A tearful Cristiano Ronaldo was named the world’s best footballer for the second time yesterday, preventing his great rival Lionel Messi from winning the award for a fifth year in a row.
The Portugal and Real Madrid forward was so overcome with emotion he could barely complete his acceptance speech. “Thank you to everyone, my team mates, the national team and my family, to everyone here. Eusebio and (Nelson) Mandela were very important for me, I can’t speak,” he said after accepting his prize.
Argentine Messi, hampered by injury problems at Barcelona late in the year, finished second in the poll, officially known as the FIFA Ballon d’Or. Frenchman Franck Ribery was third.
Jupp Heynckes, now retired, was named coach of the year for the first time after his Bayern Munich team won an unprecedented Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup treble.
Ronaldo secured the title with 1,365 points, ahead of Lionel Messi with 1,205 points and Franck Ribery with 1,127 points.
Reuters
