"A superhero of his own making, a movie character in real life, an escapee of a difficult childhood and a man who has worked hard his entire life in a constant struggle for perfection"
JJ Bull of Telegraph perfectly encapsulates the life of Cristiano Ronaldo. Maybe the only player in the history of football who has been ridiculed by his sheer volume of achievements which are often loosely tagged as acts of selfishness.
Ronaldo, throughout his entire career, had to go through a microscopic lens of his critics, ready to pounce on him when he fails to deliver on his achieved targets. There has not been any player before who has been compared to one legend or the other, be it the Argentine phenomenon or his namesake; Ronaldo Nazario.
But as strong a character that the Portuguese player is, he has risen above all the hatred, all the criticism and produced an another eventful year in his life, which by his own admission was 'the best' of his playing career.
With the FIFA Awards, which were held in Zurich, the onus was on its most anticipated event; the best player of 2016 gong. Just as the sky is blue, the two players favourite to clinch this prize were, but obviously, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Many polls and pundits were saying in the buildup to these inaugural awards that Messi deserves to win the player of the year accolade. However, as proved by this result and the result of the now-France Football's Ballon d'Or, there is only one winner and that is Cristiano Ronaldo.
Also Read: Cristiano Ronaldo in 2016: A comprehensive review
First, consider why some whispers were being heard as to why Ronaldo did not deserve this accolade. Lionel Messi was the highest goal scorer of 2016 and also had the most number of assists in the previous calendar year. Luis Suarez was the top scorer in La Liga and the third contender, Antoine Griezmann was the talisman for both his club and country.
However, an individual makes a team cross the final hurdle and that was what Ronaldo did in 2016. Even though he nursed an injury in his knee which cast a doubt over him playing in the Champions League final and also in the subsequent Euros.
The biggest difference between Ronaldo and the other contenders in the last calendar year was the important trophies that now sit in his collection, coupled with a few tweaks in his gameplay and a leadership quality which was on display for the first time in his illustrious career.
Ronaldo scored 59 goals in 2016 along with producing 32 assists which in no way are figures to have a doubt in. Only two footballing monsters can match those type of figures every year and are effectively doing that. 2016 can be said as the year where Ronaldo's achievement have been debated far less because of his team's achievements.
When Messi's team needed him the most in the Copa America final against Chile, he went missing as was the case in Zinedine Zidane's first El Clasico in which ironically, his fierce competitor Ronaldo stole the show with a late winner.
While there is no denying the fact that the Barcelona man had another massive year and was undoubtedly the worthy top scorer of 2016, he could not replicate those individual performances on the big stage for Argentina or for Barcelona in the Champions League.
Despite having a silent Champions League final, Ronaldo scored the winning penalty which gave Real their eleventh European Cup title. He played through an injury and was instrumental in his side's road to the finale.
His hat trick was the reason Real overcame Wolfsburg in the knockout stages and was also the difference in the game against AS Roma. In the 2016-17 La Liga season, Cristiano scored a brilliant hat-trick against Atletico Madrid which was his 39th La Liga hat-trick, and the 43rd treble of his career.
Talking about the Euros, it was a historic competition for Portugal as that trophy is the most prized gift of Ronaldo's huge career. Holding that trophy in his hands, one could see the pure emotions of a boy who loves football, which is hidden sometimes because of the pressures of being, well, Cristiano Ronaldo.
After a stuttering start in the tourney, Ronaldo scored a brace against Hungary and also produced an assist for the final goal in a 3-3 thriller. He also assisted an extra-time winner over Croatia and was also present on the scoresheet in the semifinals against Wales. As luck would have it, Ronaldo was injured in the final against France after just a quarter of the game and had to be stretchered off.
What followed next was a glimpse of Ronaldo's hidden qualities. He was bouncing up and down on the touchline and was also seen giving instructions to his teammates, standing beside manager Fernando Santos. This was a massive change from his image which was always seen as a selfish, self-obsessed player.
The players were listening to their star man who was seen giving a strong pep talk to his countrymen before the penalty shootouts in the Euros.
His records in the Euros final now read: joint-highest Euro finals goal scorer, level on 9 goals with Michel Platini, the most Euro finals appearances ever (21), the most appearances for Portugal (133), the first player to score in four Euro final tournaments and the all-time leading Euro goal-scorer (qualifiers included).
There is no denying the fact that Messi scored more goals for his team but trophies play a huge part in deciding awards of such importance. There was no player in the world who achieved as much as Ronaldo did in 2016 and the Madeira-born self-made superstar totally was worthy of picking up the FIFA Best Player of 2016 award just for his sheer impact for both club and country.
He put Portugal on the footballing map again and is single-handedly carrying the burden of an entire country on his shoulders which bore fruit last summer when he lifted that trophy in an eventful night in Paris.
Also Read: Cristiano Ronaldo - Is he the Greatest European Footballer of All Time?
After the win tonight, some might call him lucky and undeserving but that just has been the path of Ronaldo's entire career. He has been criticised for his entire life and still has achieved what few can even dream of.
Cristiano Ronaldo, after his feats for club and country, has become an emotion for his supporters. He will keep fighting for supremacy until the day he hangs his boots.
