Lionel Messi may have stolen the headlines in Zurich on Monday night by winning his fifth Ballon d’Or crown but it was Cristiano Ronaldo’s night back in January 2009, when the then Manchester United star was named as the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year.
The Portuguese hero’s Champions League win and match-winning performance for the Red Devils in Moscow against Chelsea helped him pip Messi, Kaka and Fernando Torres to the prize – which is still the only time he has won the honour during his illustrious career.
Here’s what else has happened on this day in sport:
1944: Former world heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, best remembered for fighting Muhammad Ali in 1971’s ”Fight of the Century” and 1975’s ”Thrilla in Manila”, was born.
1959: Heavyweight boxer Henry Cooper won his first British title, beating Brian London over 15 rounds.
1996: Cricket umpire Harold ‘Dickie’ Bird announced he would retire after the second Test against India at Lord’s in June.
2001: Former Great Britain international Bobbie Goulding joined his sixth professional club, agreeing a two-year deal with Salford.
2006: Luton manager Mike Newell claimed that offers of illegal payments were still rife in football. Newell was interviewed by the Football Association and his claims in part led to the Lord Stevens inquiry into transfer payments.
2010: Liverpool announced that Tom Hicks Jr had resigned as a director of the club and its parent company.
2012: Former Essex player Mervyn Westfield appeared at the Old Bailey to admit a corruption charge linked to a NatWest Pro40 match against Durham. Westfield was sentenced to four months in prison the following month after pleading guilty to one count of accepting or obtaining a corrupt payment to bowl in a way that would allow the scoring of runs.
2014: Stephen Bunting won the BDO World Darts Championship with a 7-4 victory over Alan Norris in the final.
