Cristiano Ronaldo has been officially awarded the 2013 Ballon d’Or during the FIFA gala in Zurich. This marks Ronaldo’s second Ballon d’Or, with his first being in 2008. Despite not winning any major trophies in 2013, Ronaldo’s exceptional individual performances both for Real Madrid and the Portuguese national team played a crucial role in securing the prestigious award.
Ronaldo’s statistics for the year, particularly his goal-scoring prowess, set him apart. He scored a remarkable 66 goals in 2013, compared to 42 for Lionel Messi and 22 for Franck Ribéry. This made him the top scorer in Europe for the year. Additionally, Ronaldo led in the number of attempts on goal, with 296 strikes, outpacing Messi (146) and Ribéry (92) combined.
The 15-day postponement of the Ballon d’Or vote allowed voters to consider Ronaldo’s outstanding performance in the World Cup play-offs against Sweden. In these crucial matches, Ronaldo scored crucial goals, including a hat-trick in the second leg, securing Portugal’s place in the World Cup. These exceptional achievements undoubtedly contributed to Ronaldo winning the Ballon d’Or for the second time in his career.
