2016 Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo: It was an unforgettable year

The 31-year-old, won the Champions League with his club and the European Championship with his country in the best summer of his career and he takes the prestigious prize away from Lionel Messi, his great rival, whose Ballon d’Or win last year was his fifth in total.

As widely anticipated Barcelona's Lionel Messi came second, with France and Atletico Madrid star Antoine Greizmann third. Leicester duo Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy came 7th and 8th respectively.

"It was an unforgettable year, possibly the best of my career on a collective and individual level," he said upon being presented with the accolade, Marca reports.

"I must respect the Champions League, which is an impressive trophy, but I appreciate more the trophy I won with Portugal, which was a step higher.

"It’s my job, my profession and I really sacrifice myself. When you win something, it’s important that I put the team first. If Real Madrid and Portugal didn’t win anything, I couldn’t win this trophy."

Winning his fourth award takes Ronaldo clear of Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten, who all won the prize three times, and clear in second in the all-time list. Ronaldo’s first triumph came in 2008 during his time as a Manchester United player and he also won in 2013 and 2014 when the France Football award merged with FIFA’s World Player of the Year Award to become the FIFA Ballon d’Or.

This year France Football took back sole control of the prize, first awarded to England and Blackpool’s Stanley Matthews in 1956, meaning votes were the responsibility of a select number of journalists across Europe, rather than international captains and coaches.

Ronaldo, who signed a new five-year contract in November, was recognised for his dominance on the European stage.

Some of the positions were tied in the results, due to players receiving the same number of votes...

Luka Modric, Toni Kroos (both Real Madrid), Dimitri Payet (West Ham)

Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United)

Rui Patricio (Sporting Lisbon)

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund)

Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)

Pepe (Real Madrid)

Jamie Vardy (Leciester)

Riyad Mahrez (Leicester)

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)

Luis Suarez (Barcelona)

Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)

Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund), Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Paulo Dybala (Juventus), Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Neymar (Barcelona), Dimitri Payet (West Ham), Pepe (Real Madrid), Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Rui Patricio (Sporting Lisbon), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Luis Suarez (Barcelona), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City), Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich).