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The Men's Best Player Award is an annual accolade presented by FIFA based on performance as well as general conduct on and off the field. Selected media representatives, national team coaches, national team captains and the general public are eligible to vote for the players who are nominated.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a two-time winner of the award, which was conceptualised in its present being in 2016. Ronaldo won the first two editions of the award, beating his arch-rival Lionel Messi on both occasions, before being usurped by Luka Modric in 2018. Messi won the 2019 edition of the award.
5 reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo deserves the 2020 FIFA Men's Best Player Award
There are a plethora of reasons as to why Cristiano Ronaldo deserves the latest edition of the FIFA Men's Best Player Award.
Despite moving to Italian giants Juventus at the age of 33, the 5-time Ballon d'Or winner has been an epitome of consistency and brilliance in both club and international football.
Unsurprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of ten players who have been nominated for the latest edition of the prestigious award.
On that note, let us have a look at five reasons why the 35-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to win the 2020 FIFA Men's Best Player Award.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo's blistering club form
In one of his best starts to a year in recent memory, Cristiano Ronaldo opened his account for the year by netting his second Serie A hat-trick, doing so against Cagliari.
Ronaldo scored in a record-equalling 11 consecutive Serie A games before he failed to score against Inter Milan. The Juventus striker then netted in eight of his next ten games in the competition to close the season with 31 goals, falling short of Capocannoniere winner Ciro Immobile.
In the Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace against Olympique Lyon but couldn't avert another Round of 16 exit for his club.
The 35-year-old has started the 2020-21 season on fire, having already scored eight times in just five games while also netting in the Champions League against Ferencvaros. That made Ronaldo the first player other than Messi to score 70 'home' goals in the competition.
Overall, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 34 times in 33 games in all competitions for Juventus this year.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo became the first European player to score 100 international goals
As if his club football exploits in the year were not enough, Cristiano Ronaldo has also dazzled in Portugal colours.
By scoring against Sweden in a Nations League game in Solna, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first European player and only the second player ever to tally a staggering 100 international goals.
However, there was disappointment in store for Cristiano Ronaldo and co later in the year as a defeat to France, their first at home in a competitive fixture in many years, put paid to their hopes of defending their Nations League title next summer.
Nevertheless, Cristiano Ronaldo still has had a year to remember for his national team. At the age of 35, he remains his team's best player and the most likely source of goals.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo is a big-game player
Cristiano Ronaldo has always been a big-game player throughout his illustrious career. Higher the stakes, better are his performances. That has not been different in 2020 as well.
Since his arrival at Juventus in the summer of 2018, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored all seven Champions League knockout-stage goals for his club. However, his latest exploits against Lyon in the Round of 16 earlier this year couldn't help the Bianconeri end their long drought in the competition.
Even though he was bought with the singular objective to help Juventus conquer the Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo has also been a key player for the Bianconeri in the league.
In the Serie A last season, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace against title challengers Lazio to help Juventus reassert their ascendancy in the competition after a three-game winless run threatened to open the door for other contenders to barge in.
During a difficult season under Maurizio Sarri, Juventus looked at their most vulnerable during their nine-year Serie A reign. But Cristiano scored almost 50% of his side's league goals (31 of 76) to ensure that the Bianconeri did not relinquish their domestic stranglehold even if their Champions League dreams were doused once again.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo agreed a pay cut to help his club's finances during a difficult year
The COVID-19 pandemic wrecked the finances of most football clubs, leading to huge financial losses from loss of ticket sales, as games had to be conducted without fans.
To mitigate the situation, clubs asked their players to take wage cuts to help them better manage their books of accounts during a difficult year especially when games were suspended. Juventus were no different in this regard.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who reportedly earns at least four times more than the next best-paid player at the club, had no qualms in agreeing to take a salary cut, putting the club's interests ahead of himself.
It helped Juventus save over €100 million during the period between March to June, at a time when another top club like Barcelona couldn't make its players agree to pay cuts.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo has made key contributions towards the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic
Arguably the best player ever to have graced the sport, Cristiano Ronaldo has lived up to his reputation as one of the world's most famous athletes by playing a small part during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Portugal international reportedly donated ventilators to hospitals in his home town of Madeira in the fight against the pandemic that plagued most countries in the world.
Moreover, Cristiano Ronaldo also contributed €1 million to hospitals in Lisbon and Porto for the purchase of key ICU equipment, proving that he is as much a star on the field as he is off it.
