Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo won the European Footballer of the Year award on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old Portuguese star is the first from his country to win the coveted Ballon D’Or award that is given by France Football since Luis Figo in 2000.
His award — which he has widely spoken about, having said in the last week that not only is he the best footballer in the world but also the second and third best — comes on the back of exceptional performances for his club side last season.
He scored a remarkable 42 times in 49 matches as United secured a memorable league and European Cup double.
However, Spaniard Fernando Torres can feel hard done by as he scored a lot of great goals for Liverpool in the Premiership and the only goal in the Euro 2008 final against Germany. — Sapa-AFP