Portugal’s football star Cristiano Ronaldo has been celebrating the “best year ever” in his glittering career with the latest ‘cherry on the cake’: his fourth award for “best player of the year (2016)” announced at the FIFA gala in Zurich, Switzerland, on last night.
Delight however was tinged with the sadness that the national team’s trainer Fernando Santos was not picked as Fifa’s trainer of the year.
As the 31-year-old Real Madrid forward said in his acceptance speech: “I want to thank my colleagues and my trainer who I would have liked to have won. Maybe next time, mister”.
Santos joined Ronaldo in reaching national hero status when Portugal steamed to victory in 2016’s Euro championships.
But the night in Zurich belonged to the phenomenon from Madeira who has already scored more than 500 goals in his senior career, 55 of which came in 57 games 2016.
2016 was also the year he won his fourth Ballon d’Or after his legendary Spanish team won the Champions League, the European Supercup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Photo: www.facebook.com/Cristiano
