A UEFA Champions League winner with Real Madrid and a European champion with Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed the 2015/16 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award.
Ronaldo enjoyed a sensational 2015/16, winning the UEFA Champions League with Madrid before leading his country to UEFA EURO 2016 glory. The 31-year-old beat off competition from club-mate Gareth Bale and Atlético Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann to land the award he first picked up in 2013/14.
Ronaldo reaction
“It’s a great honour. My team-mates are the key – they are the key every year. I work hard myself but without their help this would not be possible. Thanks to my team-mates from Real Madrid and Portugal. [Winning EURO] was different because I’ve won the Champions League three times now. To win something with Portugal was the highlight of my career.”
How the voting works
Journalists from each of UEFA’s 55 member associations provided an initial list of their five best-ranked players, with the first receiving five points, the second four, and so on. The ten players with the most points advanced to a second round of voting, which determined Ronaldo, Bale and Griezmann as the final three. In a live poll during the UEFA Champions League group stage draw, the same 55 journalists then selected their favourite from the three-man shortlist via an electronic system.
