Cristiano Ronaldohas been named the winner of the 2014 Ballon d'Or, successfully defendinghis title and beating Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuerto the honour in Zurich.FIFA's official Twitter account revealed Ronaldo's win on Monday evening, recognition for a stellar past 12 months in the world of football:As Sky Sports Football confirmed, Los Blancos' superstar took more than double the amount of votes Lionel Messi and Manuel Neuer acquired:Ronaldo was a shining beacon for Real Madrid en route to claiming both the Champions League title, FIFA Club World Cup and Copa del Rey last season, taking his scoring exploits to new heights under Carlo Ancelotti.A teary-eyed Ronaldo was presented the award by former Arsenal and Barcelona striker Thierry Henry, quoted by Chris Waugh and Adam Shergold of the Daily Mail as saying:I can see my mother, my family. I would like to thank all those who voted for me. My coach, my fellow player, the President of my club.It's been an unforgettable year. To win this trophy, a trophy of this kind, is something unique and all I can say is I want to continue working as I have so far, trying to go on to more titles - individual and as a team - for my mother, my father who is up there looking at there any my son.I want to get better as the days go by. I want to say to all the Portuguese that I never thought I could win this trophy on three different occasions. Of course it is something that is always with me, I want to become one of the greatest players of all time, and this requires a lot so I would like to thank you for all this evening.That European triumph was Los Merengues' 10th in their 113-year history, the fabled La Decima, with WhoScored.com displaying Ronaldo's exploits at the club level throughout 2014:Real would assuredly not have claimed the continental crown without their Portuguese talisman, Squawka adding details of his Golden Boot-winning record:The FIFA Club World Cup triumph capped off a terrific year for the forward in December, with Ancelotti's maiden campaign at the Bernabeu made all the easier thanks to his star player.The Telegraph provide a graphical breakdown of how Ronaldo rose to such high-scoring prominence in 2014:Oliver Kay of The TimesandBrian McNally of theMirrorwere in agreement that Ronaldo was deserving of his second successive Ballon d'Or and his third such award overall:Spanish writer Sergi Dominguez confirmed that Ronaldo has made history by winning the 2014 award after Portugal's 2014 World Cup disappointment, too:However, Ronaldo did earn Dominguez's ire, too, after shouting into the microphone just as he was stepping away from the Zurich stage:Prior to his victory, Ronaldo was quoted by Waugh and Shergold of theDaily Mailin sharing some of his feeling on what was a momentous year for his career:Of course (it is an honour to work with Carlo Ancelotti). He is an outstanding man and for me it was a pleasure to work with him.It was a fantastic year. When we arrived in Madrid we already felt the pressure they called "La Decima" and we always feel we need to win the Champions League.It was probably the best moment in that year, so it was fantastic. We win other trophies but it was for all the fans and all the Madrid supporters and they deserve that.Per Ian Abrahams of talkSPORT, England manager Roy Hodgson didn't see Ronaldo nor Messi as being fit to figure in his top three:However, the German national team's official Twitter account made sure to remind Neuer that he'll always be a winner in the eyes of his home nation:With two successive Ballon d'Or wins to his name, though, Ronaldo isn't intent on stopping any time soon, quoted by Real's official Twitter account in voiding his determination to earn more glory this year:Those two victories still put the 29-year-old some way off equalling Messi's record of four consecutive Ballon d'Or awards between 2009 and 2012, but momentum is firmly in his favour.It's a well-deserved honour for Ronaldo, one he will no doubt aim to build upon in 2015.
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