Real Madrid superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, has defeated arch-rival, Lionel Messi for his fifth Ballon d’Or award.
Ronaldo, 32, was awarded the accolade at the top of the Eiffel Tower at the glitzy bash in the French capital, Paris, Thursday.
PSG forward, Neymar made the top three alongside Ronaldo and Messi.
The over 50-year-accolade, which recognises Europe’s best player on behalf of France Football magazine is voted for by a group of journalists from across the planet.
It now means the Portuguese skipper has drawn level with his Argentine nemesis.
It caps off what has been a memorable year for the former Manchester United man.
On the pitch, he helped Madrid to win La Liga and retain the Champions League.
Meanwhile, away from the turf, he became a father again on June 8 when he welcomed little girl-boy twins named Eva Maria and Mateo into the world.
And then his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez gave birth to Alana Martinez on November 12.
Messi, who has dominated the Ballon d’Or with Ronaldo since he first the latter first claimed the prize in 2008, finished second in the runnings.
And his former Barcelona team-mate Neymar finished in third-place.
“I feel very happy, it’s a fantastic moment in my career,” Ronaldo said upon collecting the award, standing with his mother Maria Dolores and his oldest son Cristiano Jr.
“I’ve waited a long time for this. This has been a stupendous year for me, we won the Champions League and La Liga and on a personal level I was top scorer in the Champions League.
“Trophies help me win prizes like this and I have to thank my teammates at Madrid and Portugal. They’ve been very important to me.”
