Cristiano Ronaldo: Topping Goal.com 50 is 'a matter of pride'

Aug 7, 2012 9:00:00 AM

The Portuguese superstar has spoken of his delight at being named our leading player of the 2011-12 season, after being presented with the award in Los Angeles

EXCLUSIVE
By Eric Gomez

Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken of his 'pride' at being named as the top player of the Goal.com 50, after being presented with the accolade during Real Madrid's pre-season tour of the United States.

After a training session on Monday evening, the Portuguese star met with members of the Goal.com team who presented him with the trophy.

“It’s a matter of pride for me to win this award," the 27-year-old said, after claiming the award for the second time. "I would not have been able to do it without the support of my team-mates.”

In a year that saw the former Manchester United attacker collect his first Liga crown in the Spanish capital, Ronaldo enjoyed a spectacular individual season at club level, scoring 60 times in 55 games in all competitions. In addition to his monumental goal return, he also provided 15 assists as Los Blancos

2011-12 GOAL.COM 50 WINNER:
CRISTIANO RONALDO

The Portuguese superstar has topped our definitive countdown of the finest players from 2011-12. Click here to view our slideshow from 50-1!

overcame the domestic dominance of rivals Barcelona.

Following his sparkling year in Madrid, Ronaldo led Portugal into the semi-finals of Euro 2012, netting three goals in the process.

His second-half goal against Czech Republic in the last eight set up a clash with Spain, but the Seleccao were eliminated in a penalty shoot-out against the eventual winners.

Ronaldo said he hoped to build on the success of last season and is eyeing more silverware for Real Madrid: “My immediate goals are to work to the fullest with my team in order to fight for all the available championships.

"I don’t prioritise one because I want to conquer as many that I can, but to do that we’ll have to fight our hardest and do it with humility."

Looking ahead to the 2012-13 season, Real Madrid will shortly wrap up their tour of the United States and end August by encountering old foe Barcelona for the Supercopa Espana, in what will be the first Clasico of the season.

Ronaldo is confident that the current crop of talent at the Santiago Bernabeu are capable of defending their Liga crown, and can look forward to another successful campaign.

He concluded: "I’m sure that with such a great group like this, the obstacles in front of us will not seem so daunting.”

Alberto Pinero and Zac Lee Rigg contributed additional reporting for this story.

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