Cristiano Ronaldo, a European champion for both club and country in 2016, is World Soccer’s World Player of the Year.
A winner in 2008, 2013 and 2014, he has now matched the achievement of Lionel Messi by claiming the award for a record fourth time.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 2016 World Soccer Player of the Year.
The World Player award is recognition of the most successful year of Ronaldo’s career. After scoring the winning penalty when Real Madrid beat city rivals Atletico in a shoot-out to win the Champions League with Real Madrid, he then captained Portugal to their first international success, at Euro 2016.
Lionel Messi just missed out on a fifth World Soccer Player of the Year award.
Despite Ronaldo’s achievements in 2016, he was not a runaway winner of the award. Last year’s winner Messi ran his rival close in this year’s poll, despite losing the Copa America Final with Argentina.
Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann (centre) made the podium for the first time.
Antoine Griezmann’s role in Atletico’s run to the Champions League Final and France’s strong performance at Euro 2016 was recognised with a third-place finish, ahead of Barcelona’s Luis Suarez, in fourth, and Gareth Bale, a Champions League winner with Real Madrid and Euro 2016 semi-finalist with Wales, in fifth.
A sixth-place finish for Barcelona’s Neymar – also an Olympic champion with Brazil – ensured that the top six all play in Spain’s La Liga.
Riyad Mahrez, in seventh, was one of three Leicester players, along with N’Golo Kante and Jamie Vardy, in the top 10.
The only Bundesliga player in the top 10 was Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich, who was the German league’s top scorer last season.
The awards were decided by votes from a panel of 100 journalists and pundits who chose their top 10 players of the year, with points awarded to each selection. Details of how each panel member voted can be found here.
WORLD PLAYER OF THE YEAR
1 Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid & Portugal 842
2 Lionel Messi Barcelona & Argentina 712
3 Antoine Griezmann Atletico Madrid & France 559
4 Luis Suarez Barcelona & Uruguay 498
5 Gareth Bale Real Madrid & Wales 497
6 Neymar Barcelona & Brazil 405
7 Riyad Mahrez Leicester City & Algeria 134
8 Robert Lewandowski Bayern Munich & Poland 117
9 N’Golo Kante Leicester City/Chelsea & France 93
10 Jamie Vardy Leicester City & England 87
11 Manuel Neuer Bayern Munich & Germany 75
12 Pepe Real Madrid & Portugal 73
13= Andres Iniesta Barcelona & Spain 69
13= Toni Kroos Real Madrid & Germany 69
15= Kevin De Bruyne Manchester City & Belgium 67
15= Alexis Sanchez Arsenal & Chile 67
17 Luka Modric Real Madrid & Croatia 59
18 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyeng Borussia Dortmund & Gabon 58
19= Gianluigi Buffon Juventus & Italy 56
19= Paul Pogba Juventus/Manchester United & France 56
21 Sergio Aguero Manchester City & Argentina 55
22 Leonardo Bonucci Juventus & Italy 54
23 Gonzalo Higuain Napoli/Juventus & Argentina 44
24 Dimitri Payet West Ham United & France 41
25 Arturo Vidal Bayern Munich & Chile 36
26 Rui Patricio Sporting Clube & Portugal 32
27 Eden Hazard Chelsea & Belgium 31
28 Mesut Ozil Arsenal & Germany 29
29= Jerome Boateng Bayern Munich & Germany 26
29= Zlatan Ibrahimovic Paris Saint-Germain/Manchester United & Sweden 26
29= Thomas Muller Bayern Munich & Germany 26
32= David De Gea Manchester United & Spain 19
32= Diego Godin Atletico Madrid & Uruguay 19
34 Sergio Ramos Real Madrid & Spain 17
35= Philippe Coutinho Liverpool & Brazil 12
35= Hugo Lloris Tottenham & France 12
37= Sergio Busquets Barcelona & Spain 10
37= Paulo Dybala Juventus & Argentina 10
39= Dani Alves Barcelona/Juventus & Brazil 9
39= Ivan Rakitic Barcelona & Croatia 9
41= Joao Mario Sporting/Internazionale & Portugal 8
41= Marcelo Real Madrid & Brazil 8
43 Harry Kane Tottenham & England 7
44= Toby Alderweireld Tottenham & Belgium 6
44= Mats Hummels Bayern Munich/Borussia Dortmund & Germany 6
44= Jan Oblak Atletico Madrid & Slovenia 6
44= Renato Sanches Benfica/Bayern Munich & Portugal 6
48= Koke Atletico Madrid & Spain 5
48= Alvaro Morata Juventus/Real Madrid & Spain 5
50= Aaron Ramsey Arsenal & Wales 4
50= Mohamed Salah Roma & Egypt 4
50= Eduardo Vargas Hoffenheim & Chile 4
53= Joshua Kimmich Bayern Munich & Germany 3
53= Gerard Pique Barcelona & Germany 3
53= Gylfi Sigurdsson Swansea City & Iceland 3
53= Francesco Totti Roma & Italy 3
53= Xabi Alonso Bayern Munich & Spain 3
58= Daniele De Rossi Roma & Italy 2
58= Diego Costa Chelsea & Spain 2
58= Kim Shin-wook Jeonbuk & South Korea 2
58= Paulinho Guangzhou Evergrande & Brazil 2
58= Ivan Perisic Internazionale & Croatia 2
58= Son Heung-min Tottenham & South Korea 2
64= Giorgio Chiellini Juventus & Italy 1
64= Gabi Atletico Madrid & Spain 1
64= Leigh Griffiths Celtic & Scotland 1
64= Wes Morgan Leicester City & Jamaica 1
64= Darijo Srna Shakhtar Donetsk & Croatia 1
PREVIOUS WINNERS
1982 Paolo Rossi Juventus & Italy
1983 Zico Udinese & Brazil
1984 Michel Platini Juventus & France
1985 Michel Platini Juventus & France
1986 Diego Maradona Napoli & Argentina
1987 Ruud Gullit Milan & Holland
1988 Marco Van Basten Milan & Holland
1989 Ruud Gullit Milan & Holland
1990 Lothar Matthaus Internazionale & West Germany
1991 Jean-Pierre Papin Marseille & France
1992 Marco Van Basten Milan & Holland
1993 Roberto Baggio Juventus & Italy
1994 Paolo Maldini Milan & Italy
1995 Gianluca Vialli Juventus & Italy
1996 Ronaldo Barcelona & Brazil
1997 Ronaldo Barcelona/Internazionale & Brazil
1998 Zinedine Zidane Juventus & France
1999 Rivaldo Barcelona & Brazil
2000 Luis Figo Barcelona/Real Madrid & Portugal
2001 Michael Owen Liverpool & England
2002 Ronaldo Internazionale/Real Madrid & Brazil
2003 Pavel Nedved Juventus & Czech Republic
2004 Ronaldinho Barcelona & Brazil
2005 Ronaldinho Barcelona & Brazil
2006 Fabio Cannavaro Juventus/Real Madrid & Italy
2007 Kaka Milan & Brazil
2008 Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United & Portugal
2009 Lionel Messi Barcelona & Argentina
2010 Xavi Barcelona & Spain
2011 Lionel Messi Barcelona & Argentina
2012 Lionel Messi Barcelona & Argentina
2013 Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid & Portugal
2014 Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid & Portugal
2015 Lionel Messi Barcelona & Argentina
