Ballon d'Or: Cristiano Ronaldo Profile

CRISTIANO RONALDO Club: Manchester United / Real Madrid Country: Portugal Age: 24 (DOB February 5 1984) Position: Attacker Previous Placings: 1st (2008)

Love him or hate him, he is one of the most recognisable footballers in the world today. He's certainly the most expensive, having shattered all transfer records by moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid this summer for a whopping €94 million.

The 2008 Ballon d'Or winner was largely responsible for Manchester United's historic double that year, and although he lifted the English Premier League title for the 2008/09 campaign, he could not pick up the Champions League crown again when the Red Devils went down to his new arch nemesis at Madrid, Barcelona, in the final in Rome.

Cristiano has, since July, enjoyed a great start to his Santiago Bernabeu career, scoring a host of vital goals until stricken by an agonising injury. But in his first seven games for Madrid in all competitions, he netted nine times and he is largely viewed as the second-favourite behind Lionel Messi in this year's Ballon d'Or tussle.

Attributes

• Netted a goal a game in the league at Real Madrid until his injury
• Most expensive player in the world at €94 million
• The reigning Ballon d'Or winner and FIFA World Player of the Year 
• Renowned for his trickery on the ball and his showmanship on and off the pitch
• Currently earns a reported €13 million per year with Madrid and has an alleged €1 billion buy-out clause

3. Iker Casillas

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