Real Madrid

Real Madrid put on a huge show to celebrate Cristiano Ronaldo's 4th Ballon d'Or

Published Jan. 7, 2017 4:18 p.m. ET

Ryan Rosenblatt

Cristiano Ronaldo was named the Ballon d'Or winner for 2016 at the end of last year. But all he did was get named the winner and give a speech at a gala event. That's not nearly big enough for Ronaldo or Real Madrid.

That's why, prior to Real Madrid's match on Saturday, the club put on a huge show to honor his fourth Ballon d'Or.

https://www.facebook.com/RealMadrid/videos/10151173182844953/

As you can see, the club made a huge spectacle of it all. The fans got involved too. And Ronaldo was plenty happy to bask in the spotlight.

It was everything we would expect from Ronaldo and Real Madrid.

You can throw jokes around -- jokes about Ronaldo and his vanity are nothing new -- but it's hard to argue against a celebration like this. With four Ballons d'Or, he's now jumped ahead of Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten. That is amazing, and seeing as it came for a year that he won both the Champions League and European Championships, this is probably Ronaldo's most treasured Ballon d'Or yet.

And despite it all, you can bet Barcelona fans will be quick to remind Ronaldo that Lionel Messi has five Ballons d'Or. The rivalry never dies.

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