Cristiano Ronaldo has finally been rewarded for his enormous contribution in Manchester United’s Champions League success.

The Portuguese Superstar was crowned European footballer of the Year on Thursday in Zurich.

The 23 year old scored 8 times in last season Champions League, which made him the overall top scorer of the competition. Besides, he also helped the Reds keep their straight home win record when he scored a 93rd minute free kick winner against Sporting Lisbon in the group stages and a 41st minute strike against Lyon for Man United to qualify into the quarterfinals.

Cristiano Ronaldo beat Liverpool’s Fernando Torres, Inter Milan’s Ibrahimovic and, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi to grab the UEFA’s best forward Award.

The Portuguese winger succeeds to Ricardo Kaka as Europe’s best player. Now, he needs to defend his title.

Can he surmount the numerous challenges or will he just eclipse like Kaka, whose name was not even listed in Thursday’s Awards?

Written by: Angela Asante