Cristiano Ronaldo was just named the best football player on the planet

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December 7, 2017 7:06 PM

The Real Madrid forward has won his fifth Ballon d'Or award and is now equal to FC Barcelona rival Lionel Messi.

Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo just won the 2017 Ballon d'Or.
Ronaldo is now considered the best footballer on the planet thanks to his performances throughout 2017.
Ronaldo has now equalled Lionel Messi's record haul of five Ballon d'Or titles.

Real Madrid and Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo has just been named the best footballer on the planet.

At the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris, a celebration of the top-performing footballers in a calendar year, Ronaldo out-muscled FC Barcelona rival Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar for this year's top honour.

"I feel very happy, it’s a fantastic moment in my career, and I’ve been waiting for this for a long time," Ronaldo said after receiving the award.

"This year has been great. We won the Champions League and LaLiga and, on a personal level, I was a top scorer in the Champions League.

"Trophies help win these awards and we have to thank my colleagues from Madrid and Portugal — it was very important for me."

#emo##emo##emo# #CRI5TIANO Congratula... @ Real Madrid C.F.#emo##emo#

In 56 matches so far this year, Ronaldo has scored 49 goals and provided 13 assists. Though Messi returned 52 goals and 14 assists from 61 games, it is Ronaldo's trophy haul that is far superior to the Argentine.

This is because Ronaldo helped Real Madrid win the 2016-2017 La Liga championship, the 2017 Champions League, the 2017 UEFA Super Cup, and the 2017 Supercopa de España.

Ronaldo has now equalled Messi's record haul of five Ballon d'Or titles.

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