Ronaldo crowned FIFA Best Player of the year

Cristiano Ronaldo has been crowned world player of the year at FIFA's The Best awards, held in London on Monday evening.

The Real Madrid forward beat Barcelona's Lionel Messi to top spot for the second year running, with Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar Jr. also missing out.

The Portuguese was a hot favorite to retain the prize after another successful 12 months saw him add La Liga and FIFA Club World Cup medals to a third Champions League triumph in four years, the latter secured in large part to his 12-goal haul during the competition.

"Thank you very much. It's great to be around these amazing players. I am so happy, said a beaming Ronaldo, after collecting the award from former Argentina star Diego Maradona and Brazil's Ronaldo.
Messi looked on as his rival collected a rebranded version of the award he last won in 2015.

One of the two has won its equivalent every year for the past decade; Kaka's triumph in 2007 was the last time football fans were treated to a different winner.

The fact that Messi missed out, despite scoring 37 times during Barcelona's ill-fated 2016-17 title challenge and collecting a Copa Del Rey medal, is testament to the level they've pushed one another to in recent years.