Cristiano Ronaldo has made a habit of sweeping up awards.
On this day seven years ago he first stood atop world football, being rewarded for an incredible year at Manchester United with the prestigious Ballon d’Or prize as the sport’s finest player.
In a sign of the future, he pipped Barcelona’s Lionel Messi to the crown. The duo have since monpolised it, Ronaldo winning it again in 2013 and 2014.
The Portugal forward was unplayable in 2008, firing his club to the 2007-08 double of the Champions League and Premier League.
These displays saw Real Madrid aggressively pursue his services in the summer, these overtures eventually landing him in the following off-season.
1973: Australia win the Davis Cup for the 23rd time with a 5-0 rout of hosts United States in the first final to be played indoors.
1975: Greg Chappell scores centuries in both innings in his first Test as captain as Australia defeat West Indies by eight wickets at Brisbane.
1991: New York Mets sign former Pittsburgh Pirates’ outfielder Bobby Bonilla for $29m, the then highest for any player in team sport.
2010: Russia were awarded the hosting rights for the 2018 World Cup finals, while Qatar won the bid to host the 2022 World Cup.
