PICTURES

Football: Cristiano Ronaldo named World Player of the Year for 2nd time

Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with his son Cristiano Ronaldo Junior after receiving the 2013 Fifa Ballon d'Or award for player of the year during the Fifa Ballon d'Or award ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich on Jan
Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with his son Cristiano Ronaldo Junior after receiving the 2013 Fifa Ballon d'Or award for player of the year during the Fifa Ballon d'Or award ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich on Jan 13, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo poses with Fifa President Sepp Blatter (centre) and 2014 World Cup mascot Fuleco after being awarded the Fifa Ballon d'Or 2013 in Zurich on Jan 13, 2014. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo cries after receiving the 2013 Fifa Ballon d'Or award for player of the year from Brazilian football legend Pele (right) and France Football president Francois Moriniere (back, right) during the Fifa Ballon d'Or award ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich on Jan 13, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP
Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo delivers a speech after receiving the 2013 Fifa Ballon d'Or award for player of the year during the Fifa Ballon d'Or award ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich on Jan 13, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP
Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo poses with the 2013 Fifa Ballon d'Or award for player of the year during the Fifa Ballon d'Or award ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich on Jan 13, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP

ZURICH (REUTERS) - Portugal and Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo was named Fifa World Player of the Year for the second time on Monday, preventing his great rival Lionel Messi from winning the award for a fifth year in a row.

Argentinian Messi and Frenchman Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich were the other candidates for the prize, officially known as the Fifa Ballon d'Or.

"Thank you to everyone, my team-mates, the national team and my family, to everyone here. Eusebio and Mandela were very important for me, I can't speak," an emotional Ronaldo said at the awards ceremony.

Jupp Heynckes, now retired, was named Coach of the Year for the first time after his Bayern Munich team won an unprecedented Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup treble.

Ronaldo was also voted Fifa Player of the Year in 2008, before Messi began a run of four successive titles.

While he did not win any major titles last season, he has been a goal machine in this past year. The 28-year-old has 20 La Liga goals this season for Real Madrid and netted a record nine times in the Champions League group stage.

The high point of his year, however, came with Portugal when he scored a stunning hat-trick and almost single-handedly beat Sweden 3-1 in the second leg of their World Cup play-off tie to send his country through to the finals.

The team of the year featured Manuel Neuer in goal, Philipp Lahm, Sergio Ramos, Thiago Silva and Dani Alves in defence, midfielders Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Ribery with Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Messi in attack.

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