Cristiano Ronaldo was named player of the century on Sunday at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards. Defeating Barcelona’s Leo Messi and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, Ronaldo was voted best player of the 2000s by a 23-person jury, including coaches and former players and worldwide fan votes, agencies report.
“It’s a pleasure to win titles,” said Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, at the event.
“It’s not easy to be at the top of the game for so many years. I am really proud, but without a team, great coaches and clubs it is not possible.”
The five-time UEFA Champions League winner led the Portugal national team to win their first-ever major title, the UEFA EURO 2016. Ronaldo, who is also the captain of Portugal, scored 102 goals for his nation. He bagged the English Premier League title with the Red Devils for three consecutive years (2007, 2008 and 2009).
A Juventus player since 2018, Ronaldo became the Italian champion twice as he scored 81 goals in 103 games for the Italian club.
In addition to Ronaldo, Real Madrid was named Club of the Century, while Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola won the Coach of the Century title and Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski became Player of the Year for 2020.
