Cristiano Ronaldo and Pep Guardiola were among those to be honored at the Globe Soccer Awards ceremony in Dubai. They named player and coach of the century, respectively.
Beating his longtime rival Lionel Messi to earn the prize, the 35-year-old accepted the award in person at a Sunday ceremony which was held at the Armani Hotel.
The Juventus forward, who has won domestic league titles in Spain, Italy, and England as well as UEFA Euro 2016 with Portugal, was proud of receiving the accolade, given to the player judged the best from 2001 to 2020.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner said at the event that it was such a pleasure for him to win the titles. He added that it’s not easy to be top of the game for many years but it’s not possible without great coaches and clubs.
Ronaldo also responded on Twitter, saying: “Couldn’t be happier with tonight’s award! As I’m about to celebrate my 20th year as a professional footballer, Globe Soccer Player Of The Century is a recognition that I receive with so much joy and pride!”
The ceremony also honored Guardiola for his managerial career which has seen him win league championships in England, Germany, and Spain, as well as two Champions League.
The boss of Man City did not attend at the gala and accepted the award through a video message.
Both Ronaldo and Messi missed out on the men’s player of the year award as that went to Robert Lewandowski – Bayern Munich striker.
Bayern’s treble of the Bundesliga, Champions League, and DFB-Pokal, also witnessed their boss Hansi Flick being honored as coach of the year.
The ceremony also honored Real Madrid as the club of the century while Bayern as the team award for 2020.
Winning the award alongside his longtime client Ronaldo, Jorge Mendes was named agent of the year for 2020.
Founded in 2010, the Globe Soccer Awards acknowledge excellence in the sport of football with an annual awards ceremony.