By Sewe Ishola

Footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo has emerged the first player to win FIFA’s new Best Men’s Player of The Year Award at the award ceremony, which held Monday, Jan. 9th in  Switzerland

He beat his arch rival, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, who withdrew from the ceremony, hours to go due to club commitments to the top slot.

Ronaldo was rewarded for a year in which he won the Champions League with his club Real Madrid and the Euro 2016 with Portugal.

While, Argentina’s Messi came in second in the vote,  Frenchman, Antoine Griezmann was voted the third Best Men’s Player of The Year.

“I’m very happy and I can say that 2016 was the best year of my career,” said Ronaldo, as he was presented the award by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Ronaldo also won the old FIFA award once in 2008 and also in 2013 and 2014 when it was organised jointly with France Football magazine.

Leicester City ‘s Italian coach Claudio Ranieri won the Coach of the year award for leading the team to the English Premier League title.

The FIFA Best Female Player Award went to World Cup winner and two-time Olympic winner Carli Lloyd, while the FIFA Best Women’s Coach Award went to Silvia Neid, who retired after leading Germany to a first Olympic title in Rio.