The FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala

Messi finished second to Ronaldo, with Franck Ribery finishing in third place among the finalists. All three were on hand in Switzerland when Pele announced the winner. According to FIFA, 184 national team coaches, 184 national team captains and 173 media representatives voted for the 2013 Ballon d’Or. After hearing his name called by the Brazilian soccer icon, Ronaldo took the stage, where he was soon joined by his son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. With tears in his eyes and emotion in his voice, Ronaldo could not hide how much the honor meant to him.

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"Everybody that has been involved with me on a personal level I have to thank. My wife, my friends, my son," Ronaldo said, via The Telegraph. "It is a tremendously emotional moment. All I can say is thank you to everybody that has been involved."

Real Madrid's world player Christiano Ronaldo of Portugal, center, FIFA President Joseph Blatter and Ronaldo's son Ronaldo Junior stand together at the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2013 Gala in Zurich, Switzerland, Monday, Jan. 13, 2014. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

After taking home his sport's top individual prize, Ronaldo thanked his fans and shared a highlight video that served as a reminder for why he was taking home the coveted trophy. ( Source : huffingtonpost )

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Winners of the FIFA Golden Ball as world player of the year (award known as FIFA player of the year from 1991-09 before merging with the magazine France Football's Golden Ball award for European player of the year):

1. 2013 — Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
2. 2012 — Lionel Messi, Argentina
3. 2011 — Lionel Messi, Argentina
4. 2010 — Lionel Messi, Argentina
5. 2009 — Lionel Messi, Argentina
6. 2008 — Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal
7. 2007 — Kaka, Brazil
8. 2006 — Fabio Cannavaro, Italy
9. 2005 — Ronaldinho, Brazil
10. 2004 — Ronaldinho, Brazil
11. 2003 — Zinedine Zidane, France
12. 2002 — Ronaldo, Brazil
13. 2001 — Luis Figo, Portugal
14. 2000 — Zinedine Zidane, France
15. 1999 — Rivaldo, Brazil
16. 1998 — Zinedine Zidane, France
17. 1997 — Ronaldo, Brazil
18. 1996 — Ronaldo, Brazil
19. 1995 — George Weah, Liberia
20. 1994 — Romario, Brazil
21. 1993 — Roberto Baggio, Italy
22. 1992 — Marco Van Basten, Netherlands
23. 1991 — Lothar Matthaus, Germany
24. 2009 — Lionel Messi, Barcelona
25. 2008 — Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United
26. 2007 — Kaka, AC Milan
27. 2006 — Fabio Cannavaro, Real Madrid
28. 2005 — Ronaldinho, Barcelona
29. 2004 — Andriy Shevchenko, AC Milan
30. 2003 — Pavel Nedved, Juventus
31. 2002 — Ronaldo, Real Madrid
32. 2001 — Michael Owen, Liverpool
33. 2000 — Luis Figo, Real Madrid
34. 1999 — Rivaldo, Barcelona
35. 1998 — Zinedine Zidane, Juventus
36. 1997 — Ronaldo, Inter Milan
37. 1996 — Matthias Sammer, Borussia Dortmund
38. 1995 — George Weah, AC Milan
39. 1994 — Hristo Stoichkov, Barcelona
40. 1993 — Roberto Baggio, Juventus
41. 1992 — Marco Van Basten, AC Milan
42. 1991 — Jean-Pierre Papin, Marseille
43. 1990 — Lothar Matthaus, Inter Milan
44. 1989 — Marco Van Basten, AC Milan
45. 1988 — Marco Van Basten, AC Milan
46. 1987 — Ruud Gullit, AC Milan
47. 1986 — Igor Belanov, Dynamo Kiev
48. 1985 — Michel Platini, Juventus
49. 1984 — Michel Platini, Juventus
50. 1983 — Michel Platini, Juventus
51. 1982 — Paolo Rossi, Juventus
52. 1981 — Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Bayern Munich
53. 1980 — Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Bayern Munich
54. 1979 — Kevin Keegan, Hamburg SV
55. 1978 — Kevin Keegan, Hamburg SV
56. 1977 — Allan Simonsen, Borussia Moenchengladbach
57. 1976 — Franz Beckenbauer, Bayern Munich
58. 1975 — Oleg Blokhin, Dynamo Kiev
59. 1974 — Johan Cruyff, Barcelona
60. 1973 — Johan Cruyff, Barcelona
61. 1972 — Franz Beckenbauer, Bayern Munich
62. 1971 — Johan Cruyff, Ajax
63. 1970 — Gerd Muller, Bayern Munich
64. 1969 — Gianni Rivera, AC Milan
65. 1968 — George Best, Manchester United
66. 1967 — Florian Albert, Ferencvaros
67. 1966 — Bobby Charlton, Manchester United
68. 1965 — Eusebio, Benfica
69. 1964 — Denis Law, Manchester United
70. 1963 — Lev Yashin, Dynamo Moscow
71. 1962 — Josef Masopust, Dukla Prague
72. 1961 — Omar Sivori, Juventus
73. 1960 — Luis Suarez, Barcelona
74. 1959 — Alfredo Di Stefano, Real Madrid
75. 1958 — Raymond Kopa, Real Madrid
76. 1957 — Alfredo Di Stefano, Real Madrid
77. 1956 — Stanley Matthews, Blackpool