Cristiano Ronaldo has been named Europe’s Best Player for the second time after beating Gareth Bale and Antoine Griezmann to the 2015-16 honour.
The 31 year old’s role in helping Portugal become Euro 2016 winners and Real Madrid Champions League winners helped earn him the prize announced in Monaco.
The presentation was made after Real were drawn in the Champions League’s Group F for this season with Legia Warsaw, Borussia Dortmund and Sporting Lisbon on Thursday night.
Ronaldo had already seen off competition from rival Lionel Messi in the previous stage of voting, which decided the final three shortlist.
He and the Argentinean are now the only two players to have won the prize twice. Ronaldo won it following the 2013-14 season while Messi was the first winner in 2010-11 and the holder from last year.
UEFA says the award is set to “recognise[s] the best player, irrespective of his nationality, playing for a football club within the territory of a UEFA member association during the previous season”.
Congratulations…
World’s best player…. congratulations to him.