Cristiano Ronaldo has been named Europe’s Best Player for the second time after beating Gareth Bale and Antoine Griezmann to the 2015-16 honour. Ronaldo’s heroics for Euro 2016 winners Portugal and Champions League winners Real Madrid last term earned him the prize announced in Monaco. Cristiano Ronaldo claimed Antoine Griezmann and Gareth Bale deserved to win the Best Player in Europe Award too. Upon lifting the award, Ronaldo said:
“You deserve [to win the award] too because you are unbelievable players.”
He didn’t miss out on the chance to flag up the fact he beat Griezmann in both major finals this summer though.
The presentation was made after Real were drawn in the Champions League’s Group F for this season with Legia Warsaw, Borussia Dortmund and Sporting Lisbon on Thursday night. Ronaldo had already seen off competition from rival Lionel Messi in the previous stage of voting, which decided the final three shortlist.
He and the Argentinean are now the only two players to have won the prize twice. Ronaldo won it following the 2013-14 season while Messi was the first winner in 2010-11 and the holder from last year.
Congrats, Cristiano!!! He gets better with age like old wine.