Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo is thrilled to have won the Ballon d'Or. The Portuguese ace told France Football: "To win this award at just 23 years of age is incredible, because I only started my career a few years ago.

"But it is fantastic as there were a lot of other big names in the race this year such as [Lionel] Messi, [Fernando] Torres and even Xavi.

"All these players could have won it, but nevertheless, I'm happy to have taken it," he added.

Ronaldo then went on to show is gratitude to his teammates for playing a part in his success.

"I have to thank all my teammates who helped me become the best.

"I was never afraid of whether or not I would win it because I was always conscious of the great year I had last season.

"This is one of the happiest days of my life. Those who know me or who have lived with me know that this is a dream come true for me.

"But tomorrow morning in training, I will still be the same person as always," he concluded.