Cristiano Ronaldo Comments on Success in 2016, Place in History, More

Real Madrid star and Best FIFA Men's Player award winner Cristiano Ronaldo believes 2016 was the greatest year of his career, and his spot among the giants of the sport has already been secured after plenty of on-pitch success. 

Speaking to FIFA.com after his win on Monday, the Portugal international was asked about his 2016 campaign and where it ranked among all of his achievements; Ronaldo didn't hesitate in his response, calling it the best year of his footballing life:

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I have said it a few times: this has probably been the best year of my career. Having won the [UEFA EURO 2016] trophy with the national team obviously plays a big part in it as it was a first for Portugal and this makes 2016 a very special year. But there is also Real Madrid winning the Champions League and then the Club World Cup to finish the year in the best possible manner. It was a spectacular year; a truly special one. I have no doubt that it has been my best since I have started to play football. 

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The former Manchester United man won the UEFA Champions League with Real and UEFA Euro 2016 with Portugal, playing a key role in both competitions. Los Blancos added the Club World Cup for good measure and finished 2016 on top of La Liga.

As shared by Bleacher Report UK, the 31-year-old picked up his fair share of trophies last year:

Ronaldo also won the Ballon d'Or in December—his fourth in total—and with three Champions League wins to go with domestic titles in England and Spain, as well as plenty of individual success, it's fair to wonder about his position in football history.

The star striker was asked the same thing:

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I have no doubt that I am already a part of football's history. This has always been my major goal, since I started playing: not only to become a player, but to be a star and to constantly strive to be the best. And I did it: the trophies speak for themselves – both the titles, the individual awards, and the records.

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Ronaldo credited hard work for his continued success and weighed in on his demeanour during the Euro 2016 final, when injury forced him off the pitch early. He admitted he was never comfortable during the match, and while he didn't rule out becoming a coach one day, he said it's more likely he never will.