Monday saw Portuguese and Real Madrid superstar Cristano Ronaldo crowned as winner of the FIFA Ballon d’Or for a second year in a row. It came as scant surprise, given his club’s phenomenal form in 2014 that saw the return of Champions League trophyand with it the coveted “decima,” or tenth European triumphto the Bernabeu.
“It has been an incredible year,” he said at the awards ceremony. “I would like to continue the work that I have done so far. I want to try to improve, to become better as each day goes by.
“I never thought that I would bring this trophy back home on three occasions. I want to become one of the greatest players of all time.”
Top of their game
–
He still takes a lot of shots, sure, but when “Ronaldo doesn’t score,” on the rare occasions that he walks away from a match without netting a goal is the headline, maybe he’s right to do so. Certainly his Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, doesn’t begrudge him the efforts.
World Cup woes?
Germany’s irrepressible keeper Manuel Neuer — who was a distant outlier for the Ballon d’Or this year — may feel aggrieved that his superlative World Cup went unnoticed in voting. Indeed, Fabio Cannavaro won the award’s predecessor, the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2006, off the back of his considerable influence captaining Italy to 2006 World Cup glory.
But while he had a largely anonymous World Cup, it would be difficult to deny that, year round, it has been Cristiano’s year. And, like the man or not, no one should begrudge him his time at the pinnacle.
