Cristiano Ronaldo reveals his joy after winning a special award

The legendary Portuguese had double cause for celebration on Monday in The Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony.

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed how honored he felt by FIFA acknowledging him as the top goalscorer in men’s international football history.

The 36-year-old won the Best FIFA special award on Monday for surpassing Iran legend Ali Daei as the all-time record goalscorer in men’s international football in September.

Then, to cap off a memorable night in Zurich, Ronaldo also made the FIFPro Men’s World XI for the 15th consecutive year.

“[It’s] very beautiful,” said Ronaldo after FIFA president Gianni Infantino presented him with The Best FIFA Special Award.

“It was a dream. I never thought about beating that record, of scoring 115. The record was 109, right? So I’m six ahead. I’m so proud [to receive] a Special Award from FIFA, an organization that I respect a lot.”

El Presidente de la FIFA Gianni Infantino, al entregarle su premio #TheBest a Cristiano Ronaldo le dijo estas palabras:
“You are the number one” pic.twitter.com/Mdqju934Bf

— Blue (@Blueboy10) January 17, 2022

Ronaldo shares a special message

Taking to Instagram later, Ronaldo remarked on his pride in winning such a special accolade. He also vowed to use it as ‘extra fuel and motivation’ to help Manchester United and Portugal, while also paying tributes to all his teammates and opponents over the years.

“Winning The FIFA Special Best Award is a tremendous honor and a huge privilege. The fact that such a relevant institution chose to recognize me as the Top Goalscorer in the history of FIFA competitions is, for me, the pinnacle of my individual achievements in representation of my beloved country.

“Now, it’s up to me to turn this award into extra fuel and motivation to help achieve all our goals at Man. United for this season, as well as to the upcoming play-off matches in March, so that Portugal can be at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and we can all keep writing this amazing story together.

“Last but not least, a special word to all the tremendous players that represented Portugal by my side over the last two decades, and to all the international players that I faced so many times all around the globe. Your talent, your professionalism and your quality always contributed to make me a better player. Thank you!”