The Ballon D'Or was definitely meant for the competitive Cristiano Ronaldo. But the person who turned up at the ceremony, held in Zurich, was not the Ronaldo we see on the field. He was emotional, almost tearful while receiving it - his second after six years.
In December 2008, when Ronaldo won the Ballon D'Or for the first time, he had just 42 goals to his name. The prize came to him while he was still a starter, Sports Illustrated reports. There was more to come and no one was surer of this than Ronaldo himself.
After winning his golden ball, he had reportedly told France Football, "I've now made a place in history and that's not something everyone can do. But it does not mean I have reached the top. I want more. I'm going back to square one. I'm starting my career again now."
In the next six years, we saw how sincerely he meant what he said. This Portuguese player had become the highest paid footballer when Real Madrid bought him from Manchester United.
Earlier, Ballon D'Or was just a France Football production. But since 2010, FIFA's World Player of the Year award is merged with it, thus the name FIFA Ballon D'Or. Thus the grandeur is greater this time for Ronaldo, deservingly so.
Sports Illustrated remarks that though the award is bigger now, it is not necessarily better. According to France Football, "The Ballon D'or is not a prize, but a drama of intrigue, a political and sporting thriller where each athlete sells himself... where malice and shenanigans are never far away."
Thus, there have been debates on whether Ronaldo should have won at all. While Messy was way back with just 47 goals, Ronaldo had 69. But if consistency throughout the year was counted, Ribery would have emerged the winner according to some.
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