Cristiano Ronaldo won FIFA Ballon d'or award 2013

January 14, 2014
Real Madrid and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been honored as the best football player in the world for 2013 with the FIFA Ballon d'Or award ahead of Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery.  It's the second time he's won the award in the past five years. He was overcome with emotion after being named the world’s best player for 2013 on Monday, which ended Lionel Messi’s dominance of the award.

 C. Ronaldo with Pele after reviving award
(This pic. downloaded from sports.ndtv)

Although he failed to win any major titles with Real Madrid last season was rewarded for his bumper year having scored 66 goals in 56 games for Real Madrid and Portugal throughout the year as well as a brilliant hat-trick against Sweden in World Cup 2014 playoff match saw him scrape football's most prestigious individual award at FIFA's gala evening in Zurich. Ronaldo won this award in earlier in 2008. 

Thank you to everyone, my team mates, the national team and my family, to everyone here, ‘’ the Real Madrid and Portugal forward said, with emotion after accepting the trophy. 

Ronaldo added that, I cannot speak’’, runner up for three of the last four years.

Messi won this award for the past four years, but he missed last six weeks of the year owing injury but he scored 42 goals in 45 games for Barcelona and Argentina, he also won La Liga and Copa Del Rey for Barca. 

Ribery was the winner of 2012 he won treble winning season with Bayern Munich in 2013. He won Bundesliga, Germany Cup and Champions League and also helped France to qualify for the World Cup 2014.

Ronaldo defeated Argentine forward Messi and France winger Franck Ribery, who helped Bayern Munich to a sweep of major titles. 

Voting was done by national team captains and coaches, plus selected journalists, in FIFA's 209 member countries. We have learnt that Nepali national captain Sagar Thapa gave his vote to Ronaldo, meanwhile Nepali national team coach Jack Stefanowski gave his vote to Franck Ribbery. 

Ronaldo moved back his head and closed his eyes, smiling, when Brazil great Pele, after a dramatic pause and smile, read out his name. He kissed his girlfriend; model Irina Shayk, before going up to the stage. 

Ronaldo had to wait five years since first winning the award as a Manchester United player in 2008 and was heavily favored after FIFA extended the balloting deadline beyond the World Cup playoffs in November and allowed voters to change preferences.

According to goal.com, FIFA spokesman Walter De Gregorio said Monday the standings were unchanged by the voting rules adjustment, which raised the turnout from around 50 to 88 percent.

Germany dominated the other major awards, with goalkeeper Nadine Angerer named women's player of the year ahead of United States forward Abby Wambach, last year's winner, and Marta of Brazil.

Even though Ribery lost, Bayern got one victory as Jupp Heynckes won the coaching award for leading the team to a Champions League, Bundesliga and national cup treble last season before he retired. Heynckes defeated Juergen Klopp, whose Borussia Dortmund team lost the all-German Champions League final, and Alex Ferguson, who retired after winning another Premier League title for Manchester United.

Germany women national team coach Sylvia Neid won the women's award, beating Sweden coach Pia Sundhage and Ralf Kellermann, who led Wolfsburg to the Champions League title.