Ronaldo caps glorious 2016 with FIFA Best Player award

Real Madrid and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo crowned a dazzling 2016 by winning his fourth FIFA’s best male player award at a Zurich gala yesterday.
Ronaldo beat traditional rival Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona) into second and Antoine Griezmann (France/Atletico Madrid) to a distant third at the inaugural The Best FIFA Football Awards after lifting the Champions League with his club and Euro 2016 with his country.
His personal collection was recently boosted by a fourth Ballon d’Or, which is once more ran by France Football magazine separately from the FIFA award.
The latest honour was decided in a poll including votes from international captains and coaches, an online ballot of fans and votes from journalists.
Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri was named men’s coach of 2016 for guiding underdogs Leicester to a surprise Premier League championship last May and, despite domestic struggles this season, the knock-out stages of the Champions League.
Ronaldo’s Champions League winning coach Zinedine Zidane and his boss at Portugal, Fernando Santos, missed out from the final shortlist.
“2016 was the best year of my career,” Ronaldo said, looking back on a season which saw him also lift the Club World Cup and the individual best player award from European body UEFA.
Messi, who has won five FIFA best player awards and finished second to Ronaldo on each of his victories, helped Barcelona to another Spanish championship but once more lost a major final with Argentina as they fell in the Copa America Centenario to Chile.
Ronaldo took 34.54 per cent of the vote to Messi’s 26.42 per cent with Griezmann – who lost in the finals of both the Champions League and Euro 2016 – back on 7.53 per cent.
Former Germany boss Silvia Neid won the award for best women’s coach after leading her team to the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
“I’m overwhelmed really, this is a great honour for me,” she said after collecting the title for the third time after 2010 and 2013.
Neid beat out United States coach Jillian Ellis and Sweden’s Pia Sundhage.
But while Neid could celebrate, there was disappointment for her compatriot Melanie Behringer (Germany/Bayern Munich) in the women’s player category as she and Marta (Brazil/Rosengard) lost out to Carli Lloyd (US/Houston Dash), who retained her title from 2015.
Meanwhile, more than 26,000 players voted for FIFPro World Eleven which was dominated by Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, who did not send players to the event as they prepare for a cup match tomorrow.
The eleven selected was: Manuel Neuer (Germany/Bayern Munich); Daniel Alves (Brazil/Barcelona and Juventus), Gerard Pique (Spain/Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Spain/Real Madrid), Marcelo (Brazil/Real Madrid); Luka Modric (Croatia/Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Germany/Real Madrid), Andres Iniesta (Spain/Barcelona); Messi, Luis Suarez (Uruguay/Barcelona), Ronaldo.
Mohd Faiz bin Subri of Malaysia won the Puskas award for best goal for a superb swerving free kick.
Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund won the best fans award for singing
‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ together ahead of a Europa League tie in memory of the 96 people who lost their lives at the Hillsborough stadium disaster in 1989.
Colombian side Atletico Nacional were given the Fair Play award for conceding the final of the Copa Sudamericana to the Brazilian outfit Chapecoense, after 19 of their opponents’ squad died in a November plane crash.
And the Brazilian futsal player Falcao was also given a lifetime achievement award.