Cristiano Ronaldo beats Messi, Salah to win Globe Soccer Player of the century

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo has been named Globe Soccer Awards’ Player of the Century.

The 35-year-old beat arch-rival Lionel Messi and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah to the prestigious award. Ronaldo had more votes than the two other finalists after being voted the best player of the 2000s in the United Arab Emirates.

Having missed out on the FIFA The Best player earlier this month, the Portuguese wrapped up the year 2020 on a very high.

Cristiano Ronaldo during the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards staged at the Armani Hotel in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, December 27.

Photo by Francois Nel. Source: Getty Images After receiving the accolade, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United goal machine revealed that the award will compel him to even work harder despite his advanced age.

He said:

List of winners

Player of the Century - Cristiano Ronaldo
Player of the Year - Robert Lewandowski
Club of the Century - Real Madrid
Coach of the Century - Pep Guardiola
Agent of the Century - Jorge Mendes
Globe Soccer Player Career Award - Iker Casillas
Globe Soccer Player Career Award - Gerard Pique
Globe Club of the Year 2020 - Bayern Munich

“Being here with great champions such as Robert Lewandoski, Gerard Pique and Iker Casillas is amazing.

“Iker is an incredible example for everyone when he had his problem, he made us understand that we need to value what we have.

I am 36, but I still love football, my life and my family.

“This award is giving me motivation, it’s amazing to be part of this event, this is a big honour for me.

"I hope the pandemic will be over next season and more people will be here. Thanks for his trophy, I am really happy. I hope I can continue to play for a few years.”

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich striker Lewandowski went home with the 'Player of the Year' prize for 2020 - adding to the already prize he has won this year.

Highlights of the 2020 Special Edition of the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai. What's your favourite moment of this magical evening?⁠ 👏👏👏👏👏#GlobeSoccer @DubaiSC pic.twitter.com/pdMk2ya232
— Globe Soccer Awards (@Globe_Soccer) December 27, 2020