PARIS - MANCHESTER United winger Cristiano Ronaldo won the European Footballer of the Year Award here on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old Portuguese star is the first from his country to win the coveted 'Ballon D'Or' award which is given by 'France Football' since Luis Figo in 2000.

His award - which he has widely spoken about having said in the last week that not only is he the best footballer in the world but also the second and third best - comes on the back of exceptional performances for his club side last season.

He scored a remarkable 42 times in 49 matches as United secured a memorable league and European Cup double.

However, Spaniard Fernando Torres can feel hard done by as he scored a lot of great goals for Liverpool in the Premiership and the only goal in the Euro 2008 final against Germany. -- AFP