AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti believes Cristiano Ronaldo was the worthy winner of the Ballon d'Or.
The Manchester United winger beat Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Liverpool striker Fernando Torres to claim the prestigious award.
Ronaldo succeeded AC Milan playmaker Kaka, who won the trophy in 2007.
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"Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best and most spectacular players in the world," said Ancelotti.
The fact that no Serie A player was voted in the top five, with Kaka finishing eighth and Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic voted ninth, did not come as a surprise to Ancelotti.
"The Ballon d'Or depends on the trophies you win while the Champions League also plays an important role," he said.
"Kaka has already won it while Ibrahimovic is destined to win it in the future.
"But Italian football gives more importance to the collective rather than individual play. This was evident in the World Cup won by the Italian national team in 2006."
Ronaldo became the third Portuguese player to win the award after Inter Milan veteran Luis Figo (2000) and legendary striker Eusebio (1965).
The 23-year-old was a runaway winner polling 77 of the 96 votes cast by journalists and Figo said his former Portugal team-mate's award was a source for national pride.
"I'm very proud that Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or because he's the third player in the history of Portuguese football to win this prestigious award after Eusebio and me," he told Inter Milan's official website.
Portugal manager Carlos Queiroz, who was United's assistant coach last season before taking up the role with the national team, also congratulated Ronaldo on his award.
"Cristiano [Ronaldo] has worked very hard to deserve it," Queiroz told the Portugal Football Federation (FPF) website.
"I want to congratulate him and emphasise this distinction."
The 55-year-old tactician was witness to Ronaldo's stellar season last term when he fired 42 goals to help United claim the Champions League and Premier League crowns.
And after playing a key coaching role in Ronaldo's football education since his arrival at Old Trafford in 2003, Queiroz said it was an honour to see the midfielder claim the prestigious award.
"As someone who was responsible for his training and preparation at Manchester United, I am really proud for his achievement, which was his dream and ambition," he said.
"I hope this award symbolises a career full of success both individually and collectively.
"This award is also a challenge for him to keeping working as he has been doing so far in order to remain at the top and progress even further."
A GUARANTEED PROFIT OF AT LEAST £41.19 ON MIDDLESBROUGH v SUNDERLAND
There's a full programme of Premier League fixtures this weekend and did you know that it is possible to win money on Saturday afternoon's Premier League showdown between Middlesbrough and Sunderland, whatever the result?
The game kicks off at 3.00pm UK Time and we can guarantee you a profit of at least £41.19, whatever the result of the match. All you have to do is follow the simple instructions below and then sit back and enjoy the game. At full-time, you will be at least £41.19 better off, whatever the result of the match.
We must point out that if you want to take this bet, you should do it now because if the odds change, then the figures here will be invalidated. If they have changed, let us know and we will rework the bet for you.
You can still do this if you have a Betfair account but your overall profit will be reduced by £25.00 as you won't receive the £25.00 cashback as an existing account holder.
If you are unsure about this bet, you are most welcome to call us on 01642 223229 and we will help you as much as we can.
We're going to lay out a total of £67.00 on the Middlesbrough v Sunderland match and we will collect £108.50 if Middlesbrough win, £108.20 if Sunderland win and £108.19 if it is a draw. That's a minimum profit of over 61%, a much higher interest rate than you will get in any high street bank.
Here's how it's done. Just follow these simple instructions.
Open an account with Betfair. It is really important that you enter the promotional code of FTB125 when prompted. This is to ensure that you receive your bonus.
Open an account with Coral UK. It is really important that you enter the promotional code of CORALTD when prompted. This is to ensure that you receive your bonus.
This shouldn't take you any longer than a few minutes.
2. Make the following deposits into your new accounts.
Place £25.00 on Middlesbrough at 5/4 with Sky Bet.
Sky Bet will now add a £20.00 free bet to your account. Place this on Middlesbrough as well. You will now have £45.00 riding on Middlesbrough.
Back the draw with £25.00 at 3.45 (or higher if available) with Betfair.
Place £16.00 on Sunderland at 3.20 (11/5) with Coral UK.
Coral UK will now add a £10 bonus to your account. Place this on Sunderland as well. You will now have £26.00 riding on Sunderland.
If you are unsure about placing these bets, please feel free to mail us or call us on 01642 223229 and we will talk you through it, no problem at all. There is no such thing as a stupid question.
You have temporarily laid out a total of £67.00 on the Middlesbrough v Sunderland match. I stress, temporarily... Now sit back, crack a beer open and enjoy the match.
4. Here's what happens at the end of the game. All winnings are paid out on the ninety minute result.
If Middlesbrough win, you collect £108.50. That's £83.50 from Sky Bet plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
If it's a draw, you collect £108.19. That's £83.19 from Betfair plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
If Sunderland win, you collect £108.20. That's £83.20 from Coral UK plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
5. This means that the worst case scenario on the Middlesbrough v Sunderland match is a draw and you make £41.19 profit. However, if Middlesbrough win you make £41.50 profit and if Sunderland win you make £41.20 profit. That's a minimum profit of over 61%, a much better rate of interest that you would get at any high street bank or building society.
6. It is absolutely vital that you click on the links on this page to open the accounts with the three bookies and enter the correct bonus codes or you may not qualify for the bonuses.
Also, before you place your bets, you should check that the odds haven't changed. If they have, let us know by mail or phone us on 01642 223229 and we will rework the bet for you.
Please feel free to contact us or phone us on 01642 223229 if you have any questions at all about this bet and we will help you as much as we can.
Please note that the bonuses are valid for new customers only so if you already have an account with one or more of the bookies we are using, you won't be able to do this. If that is the case, mail us or phone us on 01642 223229 and we'll create an alternative bet for you using different bookies.
This method of betting was used very successfully during the 2006 World Cup and you can read all about how it was done right here.
We guarantee this bet
It's understandable that some people will not believe that it is possible to do this. "What's the catch?" I hear you asking. My answer to that question is that this is the fifth season that we have been publishing arbitrage bets and literally hundreds of people have profited from following the advice on these pages.
Only twice has our refund guarantee been triggered and that was when we did all the figures wrong and sent refunds out to those who had followed our advice and made a small loss.
Our refund guarantee works like this. If this bet doesn't work like we say it will and you end up out of pocket, we will refund your losses. Simple as that.
That means that you simply cannot lose on this, whatever happens and even if we messed up the numbers.
The only stipulation here is that you must click on the links on this page to be eligible for the refund guarantee, not that you'll be needing to claim anyway. Just enjoy the profit and stay posted for many more of these throughout the season.
