Cristiano Ronaldo receives special prize at FIFA Gala: “It’s a dream!”

Cristiano Ronaldo may not have been named FIFA World Player of the Year 2021, but Manchester United’s Portuguese superstar still had reason to celebrate – and twice over.

Ronaldo received a special prize from FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the end of the gala – after Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski had already been the highlight of the event.

The reason: CR7 first equalized and then broke the all-time international goal record set by ex-Munich player Ali Daei (Iran) last year. The 36-year-old striker now has 115 goals for the Portuguese national team.

“It’s a dream to hold this record. I never thought I’d break this record. I’m very proud, it’s a great honor,” said Ronaldo, also thanking his team-mates in the Selecao and his family.

Ronaldo instead of Mbappe and Salah in the world eleven

The aging superstar also announced big things for the new year that has just started: “I still have this passion for the game. I’ve been playing football since I was five years old and I still find great joy in being on the pitch – in training and in the game. I’m still highly motivated, even though I’ll soon be 37. I keep working hard, I love the game and I’ll keep going. People ask me how many years I have left. And I tell them : I hope to play four or five more years.”

In addition to the special prize, Ronaldo was also surprisingly called up to attack the FIFA world team alongside Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland. On the other hand, Mohamed Salah, who, unlike CR7, was in the final selection for the world footballer title, and Kylian Mbappe went empty-handed.