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Cristiano Ronaldo wins Ballon d'Or ahead of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann
Griezmann graduates to third in world
Ronaldo named best footballer ahead of Messi and Griezmann
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the winner of the 2016 Ballon d'Or, the most prestigious individual award in football. The Real Madrid and Portugal star beat off competition from Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann to claim the award for the fourth time in his career.
Ronaldo has had a stellar year, winning the Champions League and La Liga with Real Madrid, and also leading Portugal to victory at Euro 2016. He scored 55 goals for club and country during the calendar year, and also provided 17 assists.
Messi was also in contention for the award, having won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona and finishing as runner-up in both La Liga and the Champions League. He scored 53 goals for club and country during the calendar year, and also provided 30 assists.
Griezmann was a surprise inclusion in the top three, having only won the La Liga title with Atletico Madrid. However, he scored 32 goals for club and country during the calendar year, and also provided 21 assists. He was also named the UEFA Player of the Year for 2016.
The Ballon d'Or is awarded by a panel of journalists from around the world, who vote on the best player based on their performances over the previous calendar year. Ronaldo has now won the award four times, Messi has won it five times, and Zinedine Zidane has won it once.
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