Cristiano Ronaldo Wins His Second FIFA Ballon d'Or

After finishing second in FIFA's Ballon d'Or voting three of the past four years, Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo has broken through and won the award given to the world's best player.

The presentation took place Monday in Zurich, Switzerland. "There are no words to describe this moment," an emotional Ronaldo said, according to the Daily Mail. "I want to thank all my colleagues and companions at Real Madrid, in the Portuguese team and my family who are here with me."

The 28-year-old scored 66 goals in 56 appearances for both Real Madrid and Portugal.

Ronaldo was recognized as the world's best player in 2008, as well, when he was with Manchester United.

Lionel Messi had been the recipient of the award in each of the past four seasons, and he was again a finalist this year along with Franck Ribery.