It was an insanely hot day in Lyon and Portugal were sweating to live with Hungary, yet Cristiano Ronaldo kept rescuing them, helping them to equalise on three occasions in a momentous 3-3 Euro 2016 group-stage draw.
He first provided the assist for Nani with a magnificent pass and then scored twice, the first a sumptuous back-heel and the second an imperious header, sending Portugal into the knockout rounds.
In his country's hour and a half of need, when Ronaldo himself admitted they were in "dire straits", he delivered.
He then led Portugal past Croatia, converted his penalty in the shoot-out with Poland, and opened the scoring against Wales in the semi-final. Although he was injured early on in the final against France, Ronaldo claimed the limelight by hobbling back to hoist the trophy aloft.
His talent is as super-sized as his ego.
Ronaldo's lust for glory was also seen in the Champions League final, taking the fifth, decisive penalty as Real defeated Atletico Madrid at the San Siro.
In a year of controversial votes, there can be no doubting that Ronaldo is a worthy winner of a fourth Ballon d'Or, the man for all reasons this year, with his haul of trophies, an endless stream of goals and remarkable dedication to fitness and his craft.
As the English representative on the Ballon d'Or jury, I needed little time or brain-racking to decide on Ronaldo, especially having witnessed his bravura display in Lyon.
I voted for Ronaldo first (five points) followed by Lionel Messi (three points) and Antoine Griezmann (one point).
One critic recently described the Ballon d'Or process as a "game of politics" because of the serial presence of Ronaldo and Messi in the top three.
Even if other individuals, such as Griezmann, Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale undeniably enjoyed a phenomenal 2016, they were always up against the familiar pair of aces, Ronaldo and Messi, who bestride this generation like two colossuses.
Their sustained excellence should never be taken for granted.
Lovers of the game are privileged to live in the age of Ronaldo and Messi, who seem to push each other to greater heights (and Ronaldo does seem obsessed with Messi).
What is also cause for celebration this year is that the Ballon d'Or is back in the tender care of its founder, France Football magazine, after a strained, strange association with Fifa from 2010 to 2015.
The lengthening of one deadline by Sepp Blatter, the then Fifa president, to allow consideration of Ronaldo's contribution to a Portugal-Sweden play-off bordered on the scandalous.
The Ballon d'Or has regained its true sheen, its purity since divesting itself of Zurich's patronage. Fifa promptly e-mailed Ballon d'Or judges, asking them to vote for its new award, "The Best Fifa Men's Player", but this was easy to decline.
The Ballon d'Or is the real accolade, the trophy that signals greatness, and Ronaldo is one of the greats.
THE TIMES, LONDON
