Ronaldo beats Lionel Messi to win FIFA best player award

Cristiano Ronaldo was named FIFA's best men's footballer of 2016 on Monday, the latest prize after a glittering year for the Portugal and Real Madrid star

Real Madrid and Portugal's forward Cristiano Ronaldo arrives for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2016 ceremony, on January 9, 2017 in Zurich. Pic /AFP

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA Best Male Player Award over his great rival Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann for a stellar 2015-16 season, at a glittering ceremony here.

Ronaldo also won the Ballon d'Or, given by France Football magazine, in December, with both honours recognition for success in the Champions League with Real and Euro 2016 with Portugal.

"I will never forget 2016," Ronaldo said, as quoted by the BBC on Monday.

He thanked his team-mates, family and his whole staff. Leicester City coach Claudio Ranieri won FIFA Best Men's Coach award. Argentine legend Diego Maradona handed the award to Ranieri.

"I'm crazy now," said the Leicester coach, as quoted by the BBC.

"Thank you so much for voting me. I'm 65 now, I start now as a manger!"

Ex-Germany coach Silvia Neid won the FIFA Best Women's Coach award.

Mohd Faiz Subri, forward of club Penang in the 2016 Malaysia Super League won the Fifa Puskas Award for the best goal.

Carli Lloyd, of Houston Dash and the US, a World Cup winner and two-time Olympic winner, was honoured with the Fifa Best Female Player Award.

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