Cristiano Ronaldo hailed Alex Ferguson as a guiding light after he was named as FIFA's world player of the year.
Cristiano Ronaldo hailed Alex Ferguson as a guiding light after he was named as FIFA's world player of the year.
The Manchester United and Portugal winger finished ahead of runner-up Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Liverpool's Spanish striker Fernando Torres in third place to take the award at a star-studded gala in Zurich on Monday night.
Ronaldo is the first Premier League player to have won the award. Ronaldo received the award from Pele and paid tribute to the influence of the United manager.
He said: "It's true that the manager always has an important role to play. It was a great season for me and for my club, and the coach was important for me because I learned a lot for him."