Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or after a stunning year that saw him net an astonishing 69 goals in 59 games.
The Real Madrid talisman's achievements saw him surpass Hugo Sanchez in his club's scoring charts and equal Portugal legend Pauleta at the top of his country's list with 47 in 109 games.
Fourteen of his goals came in the Champions League as Madrid reached the semifinals before being beaten by Borussia Dortmund -- and that total eclipsed the record of 13 achieved in the season before by the shortlisted Lionel Messi.
His 2013 goal tally has overshadowed those of his two Ballon d'Or rivals, Messi and Franck Ribery, and he is the top scorer in all of Europe's biggest leagues.
Ronaldo, accompanied by Florentino Perez, Zinedine Zidane, Emilio Butragueno and Sergio Ramos, flew to the Zurich ceremony from Madrid after training on Monday morning. Speaking as he received the award, a tearful Ronaldo said: "Thank you to everyone, my teammates, the national team and my family, to everyone here. Eusebio and Mandela were very important for me, I can't speak."
Meanwhile, the other awards were also presented:
FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year: Nadine Angerer
FIFA Men’s Football Coach of the Year: Jupp Heynckes
FIFA Women’s Football Coach of the Year: Silvia Neid
FIFA Presidential Award: Jacque Rogge
FIFA Fair Play Award: Afghanistan Football Federation
FIFA Puskas Award: Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Sweden v England
Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur: Pele
FIFA/FIFPro World XI:
Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer – Bayern Munich
Defender: Philipp Lahm – Bayern Munich
Defender: Sergio Ramos – Real Madrid
Defender: Thiago Silva – PSG
Defender: Dani Alves – FC Barcelona
Midfielder: Andres Iniesta – FC Barcelona
Midfielder: Xavi Hernandez – FC Barcelona
Midfielder: Franck Ribery – Bayern Munich
Forward: Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrd
Forward: Zlatan Ibrahimovic – PSG
Forward: Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona
Credits: Soccernet
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