AN emotional Cristiano Ronaldo had to fight back the tears after ending four years of Lionel Messi domination to win the Fifa Ballon d'Or and the right to be called the best player on the planet once again.
Ronaldo has won the award once before, back in 2008 while at Manchester United, but since then he has had to play second fiddle to Messi in the voting, finishing runner-up three times as the Argentinian claimed the crown on four successive occasions.
That is despite the Portugal international putting up incredible figures for Real Madrid - he has scored 231 goals in 222 games for the Spanish giants - which at any other time would surely have been enough to win a host of gongs, as Messi has.
The problem for Ronaldo has been that Messi, and his club Barcelona, have been in recordbreaking form in recent years and few could deny the Argentinian ace deserved his place as the game's leading light.
No more, though.
Ronaldo was last night awarded with the 2013 Fifa Ballon d'Or at a ceremony in Zurich after securing 1,365 points in the voting, with Messi having to settle for second place with 1,205 and France international Franck Ribery third with 1,127.
Ronaldo did not win any silverware with Madrid last year but he was in phenomenal goalscoring form, netting 69 times for club and country, including all four goals in Portugal's 4-2 aggregate victory over Sweden in the World Cup qualifying play-offs.
In accepting the award, a teary and humble Ronaldo was quick to highlight the support of his team-mates.
He said: "I have no words to describe this moment. Thanks to all of my team-mates, at Real Madrid and the national team. "Without all of their efforts this would not have been possible. I am very happy, it is very difficult to win this award. "Everybody that has been involved
with me on a personal level I have to thank. My partner, my friends, my son. It is a tremendously emotional moment. All I can say is thank you to everybody that has been involved."
On his rivalry with Messi, the 28-year-old added: "I have a very professional relationship with Messi, he's a player I admire.
I'm happy to compete with the best.
"I'm going to try win things with Madrid and the national team, and I hope to be here (again next year) and win."
In some of the other awards, Germany goalkeeper Nadine Angerer won the women's top prize for the first time while Jupp Heynckes, who guided Bayern Munich to the Champions League title, was named men's Fifa World Coach of the Year.
Picture: AP