The 2016 Ballon d’Or winner has not been officially announced, but reports out of Spain are saying Cristiano Ronaldo will win the player of the year honours.
The leak comes as a result of drastic changes to the award’s announcement protocol. For the past five years, FIFA controlled voting for the Ballon d’Or and awarded the trophy during a live ceremony. The organization will not be part of the Ballon d’Or process going forward, but will present the FIFA Best Men’s Player Award in its place.
The Ballon d’Or is now controlled by magazine France Football, and is voted on by a panel of journalists from around the world.
Spanish journalist Francesc Aguilar of Mundo Deportivo reports that the magazine will meet with Ronaldo in Madrid for an interview and photo shoot on Thursday, with the interview’s publish date set for the following Monday evening.
Assuming the reports are accurate, it will be Ronaldo’s fourth Ballon d’Or trophy. He also won the award in 2008, 2013 and 2014.
In addition to maintaining his goal-scoring form in 2016, Ronaldo’s remarkable year also included some important team achievements. Ronaldo scored the winning penalty for Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final, capping off a season that saw the 31-year-old forward lead the tournament with 16 goals.
He then captained Portugal to its first international championship at the Euro Cup. Ronaldo recorded three goals and three assists in the tournament, and although he missed most of the final due to injury, Portugal secured a 1-0 victory over France. Ronaldo won the Silver Boot award at the tournament.
Barcelona FC striker Messi, his teammate Luis Suarez and Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann were also in contention for the award. Messi, who won the award in 2015, has won five in total.
