Cristiano Ronaldo Named UEFA's Best Player in Europe: Latest Comments, Reaction

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was named UEFA's Best Player in Europe for 2015-16, per UEFA.com. It's the second time Ronaldo has claimed the honor.

He won the award over Real Madrid's Gareth Bale and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann, the other two finalists.

Ronaldo was quick to shower his teammates with praise, however:

"

It's a great honour. My teammates are the key—they are the key every year. I work hard myself but without their help this would not be possible. Thanks to my teammates from Real Madrid and Portugal. [Winning EURO] was different because I've won the Champions League three times now. To win something with Portugal was the highlight of my career.

"

Given his accomplishments in the 2015-16 season, his selection doesn't come as much of a surprise.

Ronaldo led Real Madrid to a UEFA Champions League title, the 11th time Real Madrid have accomplished the feat. He was phenomenal in La Liga and Champions League play, tallying 51 goals and 15 assists in 48 total appearances between the two competitions.

He was more productive than most teams in the Champions League, as OptaJoe noted:

His 7.99 average match rating from WhoScored.com in La Liga play was the fifth-best mark in the league, trailing only Lionel Messi (8.46), Neymar (8.43), Gareth Bale (8.12) and Luis Suarez (8.01).

He also helped lead Portugal to the country's first-ever Euros title, scoring three goals and adding two assists in seven appearances.

Even at 31, Ronaldo has shown few signs of slowing down. While he'll someday pass the mantle to Bale with Real Madrid, Ronaldo remains the club's most dangerous and talented player. The attacking trio of Ronaldo, Bale and Karim Benzema is unparalleled in its production and overall ability around the world, with the exception of Barcelona's absurd trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.

Suffice to say, Ronaldo may not be done collecting the hardware. He'll be the favorite to claim FIFA's Ballon d'Or and should certainly be in the running for UEFA's Best Player in Europe a year from now if he continues to play at his current level.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.