Tuesday 14 January 2014 08:55, UK
World player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo admitted he considered returning to Manchester United in the summer.
Meanwhile, Sky Sports' Spanish expert Guillem Balague says changing image perceptions may have helped Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or for the second time ahead of Messi. Balague said: "Runner-up to the little Argentinian for three out of the last four years, Ronaldo's greatness as a superstar player has never been in question. But in these days of high profile image requirements that go beyond just the game, CR7 always seemed to find himself unfairly cast as the villain to the hero that has been the squeaky clean Messi. "Now the balance of the public's perceptions looks to be changing. It feels like the world has gone a bit tired of the same face at the top of the chain. "Franck Ribery said on Sunday that no matter who won, Messi should be considered the best player in the world and not many will argue with that, but it feels like everything has been allowed to tarnish the image of Messi in the last few months. "The media picture of villain and heroes is finally disappearing - they should both be considered heroes. "What is certain however is that Ronaldo seems to have been working on the building of a more user-friendly, less arrogant image than that of the pouting, strutting diva he has been perceived as by so many." Ronaldo, Messi and Ribery were also included in the FIFPRO team of the year, which was dominated by Real, Barcelona and Bayern, and also featured two players from Paris St Germain. There were five British players in the running for selection, but no-one made the final XI. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, Chelsea defender Ashley Cole, Everton left-back Leighton Baines and Gareth Bale, who is now at Real Madrid, had all been nominated. FIFPRO team of the Year: Manuel Neuer (B Munich); Phillip Lahm (B Munich), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG), Dani Alves (Barcelona); Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Xavi (Barcelona), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich); Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG), Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
