Man Utd star hail "a dream come true" after becoming the first EPL player to win the coveted award
Cristiano Ronaldo hailed "a dream come true" after tonight becoming the first Premier League star to be named FIFA's World Player of the Year.
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The Manchester United and Portugal winger finished ahead of runner-up Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Liverpool's Spanish striker Fernando Torres in third place to take the award at a star-studded gala in Zurich.
It ends a stunning year for the 23-year-old in which he played the starring role as United won the Premier League, Champions League and Club World Cup.
Ronaldo received the award from Pele and dedicated it to his family, but also paid tribute to the influence of United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
He said: "It is an overwhelming moment, it is a dream come true and I would like to dedicate this to my family.
"I'm extremely happy, it's one of the most important moments in my life and I hope I can come back here again.
"After what I did in 2008, to receive this award is amazing and I feel very proud of this achievement.
"But it's also true that the manager always has an important role to play. It was a great season for me and for my club, and the coach was important for me because I learned a lot for him.
"His experience over so many years is of paramount importance - it's a privilege to have such a great club manager.
"This is the climax of a fantastic era for me. I'm happy and proud about what has been done by my team and what we have won.
"I am lucky to to be part of the history of a club like Manchester United."
Torres was honoured to have come third ahead of Kaka, who finished fourth, and Xavi, who was fifth.
The Liverpool striker said: "Ronaldo and Messi are for sure the two best players in the world and to come next to them is a privilege.
"The very fact of being here is a reason to be proud to represent my club and my country. It's a matter of pride to have two Spaniards amongst this group."
Ronaldo's 31 league goals (42 in total) won him the European Golden Shoe as the continent's top scorer, and he was also awarded the Ballon d'Or and FIFPro's player of the year.
The awards are voted for by all countries' head coaches and captains.
Steven Gerrard finished sixth, Frank Lampard 12th, Didier Drogba 13th, Michael Ballack 14th, Cesc Fabregas 15th, Emmanuel Adebayor 17th and John Terry 21st.
Premier League players have finished as runner-up before - David Beckham and Thierry Henry both did so twice while Lampard also came second two years ago - but Ronaldo is the first to take the top prize.
For his votes, England head coach Fabio Capello's choices mirrored the one-two-three positions but England skipper Terry voted for Xavi first ahead of Torres in second and Ronaldo third.
Other votes: George Burley (Scotland) - 1 Ronaldo, 2 Xavi, 3 Messi; Barry Ferguson (Scotland) - 1 Ronaldo, 2 Messi, 3 Gerrard; John Toshack - (Wales) 1 Ronaldo, 2 Gerrard, 3 Messi; Craig Bellamy (Wales) - 1 Messi, 2 Ronaldo, 3 Torres; Nigel Worthington (Northern Ireland) - 1 Messi, 2 Ronaldo, 3 Kaka; Maik Taylor (Northern Ireland) - 1 Ronaldo, 2 Messi, 3 Torres; Giovanni Trapattoni (Rep of Ireland) - 1 Messi, 2 Ibrahimovic, 3 Ronaldo; Shay Given (Rep of Ireland) - 1 Casillas, 2 Ronaldo, 3 Messi.
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