On Monday evening in Switzerland, the prestigious FIFA-organized "Ballon d'Or" awards ceremony took place.
The year-long intrigue about the best footballer of 2014 came to an end. Cristiano Ronaldo, the star of Madrid's "Real," triumphed in the elections for the best player for the second year in a row.
He received 37.66% of the votes for the most productive player of the year, while in second place with 15.76% was Barcelona striker Lionel Messi. Not far behind the Argentine in second place was Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who received 15.72% of the votes.
In total, C.Ronaldo played 60 matches in 2014. During them, the 29-year-old Portuguese scored 61 goals and made 22 assists. The forward also managed to win four titles - the UEFA Champions League, the King's Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup.
C.Ronaldo has now won the "Golden Ball" for the third time in his career. The forward was also named the best player on the planet in 2008 and 2013.
Meanwhile, the best men's football coach of the year was Joachim Low, the mastermind behind the victories of the German national team. He surpassed Carlo Ancelotti in second place and Diego Simeone in third place.
The author of the most beautiful goal of the year was Colombian national team and Madrid's "Real" midfielder James Rodriguez, who won the "Puskas" award by scoring a goal in the World Cup quarter-final match against Uruguay.
As for the best female footballer, it was German Nadine Kessler. The best women's football coach was German Ralf Kellermann, who has been leading the women's "Wolfsburg" club for many years.
The best goal of the year:
The best lineup of 2014:
