Cristiano Ronaldo has consistently been pitted against his fellow compatriot Lionel Messi. The two have fans locked in a heated battle over the years regarding who claims the football’s most coveted trophy- Ballon D’Or. Both footballers have immense talent and have consistently scored goals at humongous rates for their respective clubs.

The iconic award, presented by France Football magazine, is given to the world’s best player as voted by 173 journalists from across the globe.

The Real Madrid forward would not be present at the ceremony in Paris because of his success with the Los Blancos, lifting the Champions League in May and earning a spot at the Club World Cup, currently taking place in Japan. Lionel Messi on the other hand, whenever he stepped on a footballing pitch, fans all around the world hope to catch a glimpse of the magic produced by the maestro. His deft touches, nutmegs and absolutely perfect finishes have been mesmerizing the footballing world on a weekly basis.

However, the 2016 Ballon D’Or belonged to the Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo for a fourth time in his career. Ronaldo is not only brilliant on the field but has shown desire, dedication and passion toward the sport, in which he is one of the best in the world.

Insane stats and consistency

Ronaldo’s stats over the years are almost godlike. He has been delivering superb performances week-in and week-out starting from his early professional days at Lisbon. However, 2008 was the year when the world really started to take note of this young talent. This was the year the then-Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo really emerged as a true world-class talent scoring 35 goals in 58 games in all competitions for club and country. Ronaldo turned 23 early in 2008 and went on to a clean sweep of the young and senior PFA and FWA Player of the Year award in England, win a first “Golden Shoe” [Golden Boot] as Europe’s top scorer for 2007-08 and then took his first Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award.

The year 2011 saw Ronaldo ramp up his goal scoring for both club and country, reaching the 60-goal mark for the first time in his career. Personally, he won both a first La Liga Pichichi prize and a second European Golden Shoe. He also became the first player ever to score 40 times in a Spanish top flight season. The next year, 2012 saw Ronaldo score 63 goals in a total of 71 games.

Things turned around under new coach Carlo Ancelotti, and Ronaldo ended the year in probably the best form of his entire career earning his second Ballon d’Or trophy in the process. He finished with a total of 69 goals in 60 appearances for club and country, his highest year-end goal tally. Madrid reached their holy grail of La Decima and a 10th European Cup win, with Ronaldo famously removing his jersey after scoring a late penalty in a 4-1 extra-time win over city-rivals Atletico. He also set a new record of 17 goals in one Champions League season also bagging his third Ballon D’Or. In autumn of 2015, he had overtaken Madrid legend Raul Gonzalez to become the club’s all-time leading goal scorer.

In November 2015, Ronaldo signed his new long-term deal at Madrid. The following year he went to win another Champions League and guided Portugal to their first ever European Championship. With Messi’s Argentina losing the Copa America for a second consecutive time to Chile, Ronaldo became a favourite to land the prestigious Ballon D’Or.

Cristiano Ronaldo: the philanthropist

Real Madrid star Ronaldo is seen by many as an arrogant, self-important prima-donna. What many may not know about the Portuguese ace is that he is a genuinely generous role model who donates money as well as endless time to a number of charities around the world. There have been a string of cases throughout his career where Ronaldo has given to the needy, helped the sick and kind-heartedly assisted those less fortunate in a time where footballers appear to be happy with their lot.

Ronaldo is also one of the few modern day footballers who has refrained from being tattooed in the name of fashion.

Not many people would know these facts nor would they be aware that Ronaldo has a long list of causes that he supports including awareness campaigns on HIV/AIDS, cancer, disaster relief, education, health, human rights, and the abolition of poverty and human trafficking.

In 2012, he sold the “Golden Shoe” he won in 2011 for €1.5 million euros to donate the funds to Palestinian school children in Gaza and is also involved in FIFA’s ’11 for Health’ which aims to raise awareness among children regarding drug addiction, HIV and obesity.

The touch of humanly emotions

He has taken great care of his body and health to be in perfect shape. In order to be in perfect shape and less prone to injuries, he does some extreme training routine, which he often flaunts over his social network profile. Ronaldo has been often criticized for the (occasional) tantrum he throws when in the heat of battle or the ease in which he (sometimes) falls to the ground when under pressure from a defender. He has even resorted to unsportsmanlike behavior and is seen in a gloomy way after his team mates have scored a goal, instead of offering it to him.

All these are just the kind of emotions you expect to see from a human being. His desire and passion to win trophies and accolades has often driven to take some unwanted actions on the pitch. It is perfectly normal for an individual to display some unwanted characteristics, having put in a lot of effort and hard work.

Ronaldo is a role model for the youth, and has proved that wit determination, hard work and passion, anyone can reach the pinnacle of their respective fields.

The CR7-detractors will forever continue to call him out for his sporadic petulance, the fact he may not be as good as Lionel Messi or his penchant to attract all the attention ahead of his teammates. But there is no denying the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo doubles as a world-class footballer and more importantly, a world-class human being.