Cristiano Ronaldo wins his fifth Ballon d’Or to equal Lionel Messi’s record

Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or 2017 award, beating the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar to lift one of the biggest individual prizes in world football – for the fifth time.
The Real Madrid star was awarded the prestigious trophy in a ceremony in Paris on Thursday night, coming top of France Football’s 30-man shortlist.

Ronaldo led Real to glory in La Liga and the Champions League in 2017, as well as setting Champions League goal records with the most strikes in a calendar year (19) as well as becoming the first player to score in every group-stage game in a single season.

“I feel very happy, it’s a fantastic moment in my career,” Ronaldo said, standing with his mother Maria Dolores and his oldest son Cristiano Jr. “I’ve waited a long time for this. This has been a stupendous year for me, we won the Champions League and La Liga and on a personal level I was top scorer in the Champions League.
“Trophies help me win prizes like this and I have to thank my team mates at Madrid and Portugal. They’ve been very important to me.”
“This is something I look forward to every year,” Ronaldo said.
“Thanks to my Real Madrid team-mates. And I want to thank the rest of the people who helped me reach this level.”The former Manchester United star has levelled Messi’s record – after also being named Fifa’s Mens World Player of the Year in a London ceremony in October.


The Fifa World Player of the Year award was merged in a partnership with France Football’s Ballon d’Or in 2010 and became known as the Fifa Ballon d’Or for the next six years, with the two awards having now split.

Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or on four other occasions – in 2008 with Manchester United, and in 2013, 2014 and 2016 with Real Madrid.
2017 Ballon d’Or final standings1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 3. Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) 4. Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) 5. Luka Modric (Real Madrid) 6. Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) 7. Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain) 8. N’Golo Kanté (Chelsea) 9. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) 10. Harry Kane (Tottenham)