Cristiano Ronaldo wins Fifa Ballon d'Or

The Portugal international has been voted the best player in the world for 2014 by national team captains, coaches and journalists, with Lionel Messi second and Manuel Neuer third

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Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo has won the 2014 Fifa Ballon d'Or ahead of Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, scooping up the prestigious individual award for the third time in his career.

Ronaldo enjoyed a hugely successful 2014, in which he guided Madrid to Champions League glory by netting a record 17 goals in one campaign, and earned 37.66 per cent of the votes.

Additionally, the prolific attacker played an integral part in the Santiago Bernabeu side's Copa del Rey win by netting three goals in six appearances, even if he missed the final against Barcelona due to injury.

Messi, meanwhile, made it to the podium for the seventh time in succession after he was crowned all-time top goalscorer of La Liga and the Champions League in 2014, and a massed 15.76%

of the final vote.

Neuer missed out on the chance to become the first goalkeeper to win the award since Lev Yashin in 1963 after guiding Germany to World Cup glory and winning the Bundesliga title and DFB-Pokal with Bayern. He earned 15.72% of the vote.