Ronaldo Beats Messi, Wins Forth Ballon D’or

Source: thewillnigeria.com

SAN FRANCISCO, December 12, (THEWILL) – Real Madrid striker, Cristiano Ronaldo has won the 2016 Ballon D'Or overwhelmingly with 53 per cent of the votes.

Ronaldo won his fourth Ballon d'Or on Monday to close the gap with his nemesis and rival, Lionel Messi in their long-running duel for the title of best footballer on the planet.

Ronaldo is now one Ballon d'Or behind Messi. He won his first Ballon d'Or in 2008 after Premier League and Champions League triumphs with Manchester United.

The Portuguese captain who led his country to its first European glory this year and also scored the decisive goal for his club to win the Champions League Cup, was the widely expected winner.

He edged out a mix of players that included rival, Lionel Messi and Barcelona's striker Luis Suarez.

Messi got 16 per cent of the votes, while Ronaldo's team mate Gareth Bale got 6 per cent. Luis Suarez got 9 per cent. Antoine Griezmann had just 5 per cent.

Other players in contention were Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Paulo Dybala (Juventus), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus).

The list also includes Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Neymar (Barcelona), Pepe (Real Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), and Jamie Vardy (Leicester City).

This year marks the end of a six-year joint awards by founders France Football and FIFA as the Ballon d'Or will henceforth be decided by a vote of 173 journalists while national team captains and managers will no longer have a say.

Story by Oputah David