2016 was quite the year for Cristiano Ronaldo. As well as scoring the decisive penalty in the shootout to win the Champions League, rescuing Real with a hat-trick in the final of the Club World Cup, captaining Portugal to Euro 2016 glory and being recognised with a fourth Ballon d’Or, he now has something Messi does not – the honour of being named best Fifa men’s player.

Gianni Infantino presented the award, and  Cristiano Ronaldo said “Wow. It’s incredible. It’s not the first time but this award is the first time. I want first to thank my team-mates, my coach. I want to thank my family, my whole staff.I tell you, 2016 was the best year of my career. I had a lot of doubts but the trophy showed that I lived up to that.

“After I won what I did, I had no doubts. It was a year that was magnificent on a personal level, on a sports level. I would like to thank very warmly everybody who voted for me. “To the fans, to the other players, to the media: thank you.”