CRISTIANO RONALDO secured a hat-trick of Ballon d'Or awards last night – but was quickly upstaged by rival Lionel Messi.
The Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is undoubtedly the best in his position but that is probably not enough to wrestle the Ballon d'Or away from Messi and Ronaldo.
By the time the Zurich Kongresshaus ceremony room had cleared, and all of the Ballon d'Or's big winners were walking through the red-carpeted mixed zone with aides dutifully carrying their silverware for them, there weren't all that many questions
Cristiano Ronaldo has won the FIFA Ballon d'Or for the best player in the world for the third time following previous wins in 2008 and 2013, while Germany midfielder Nadine Kessler has claimed her first-ever FIFA Women's World Player of the Year award.
Northern Ireland's captain and coach did not get a vote in the Ballon d'Or poll, as the Irish Football Association (IFA) did not send the ballots on time. The blunder meant the choices of Southampton midfielder Steven Davis and Michael O'Neill were not