Cristiano Ronaldo Receives 2nd UEFA Best Player Award; Gareth Bale and Antoine Greizmann are Runners-up
Cristiano Ronaldo to Return to Premier League in September
Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in Europe – no argument about it. Ronaldo garnered majority vote by wide margin to win UEFA 2016 awards. Ronaldo finally got another remarkable achievement following a championship finish.
UEFA Best Player in Europe
To recall, Ronaldo sat few crucial games during Real Madrid's bid for UEFA cup because of injury. Real raises the Henri Delaunay cup Ronaldo-less in a 1-0 overtime. Then two weeks later, the UEFA Best Player in Europe caps the finish. This is the second time that Ronaldo has attained the same award.
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The vote came from 55-member journalist group accredited by UEFA. Each of these members initially lists five players that they think are the best in the league. Then these players are ranked based on a points system, determining who proceeds to the next selection process. This last stage left the trio Ronaldo, Greizmann and Bale as final contenders.
The final deciding votes came from a publicized poll where the same 55 members limit their choice from three nominees. The rest is history for the 31-year old Portugal player. Ronaldo tops the voting by a convincing 40 points. Fellow Real player Gareth Bale lands at third with 7 votes while Atletico Antoine Greizmann at second with 8 votes.
Highest scorer in the UEFA finals
Meanwhile, the celebration night isn't finished for the soccer superstar. Ronaldo is already the highest UEFA Euro scorer after the 2016 campaign. He is now tied with French Michel Platini with 9 goals despite early exit.
Lest we forget, Ronaldo made a third achievement this UEFA season. He is the leading figure in list of players that has most appearance in the finals. He is boasting 21 appearances to lead by 3 against runner-up Bastian Schweinsteiger of Germany.
When is Ronaldo's return?
For those who are asking when Ronaldo can return to active game, September 10 is the date. Reports state that he is currently doing well after missing La Liga opener. The Real captain is already playing with the ball but decides to step back a bit. The September outing will mark exactly two months after the UEFA incident.
The only worry now for Real Madrid that can retard Ronaldo's comeback is the ongoing Olympics qualifiers. Several high-profile players in La Liga including Lionel Messi have been called up by respective countries already.
Team Portugal is scheduled for a clash against Gibraltar this September 1. A game against Switzerland will immediately follow five days after. In the end, it is still up to the superstar to decide whether to cut his schedule short or not.
