Top 10 footballers of 2017 according to The Guardian

#2 Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo finished second despite winning the Ballon d'Or

Rank in 2016: 1

Cristiano Ronaldo played his part in continuing the decade-old duopoly along with Lionel Messi this year. He won the FIFA Men's Best Player of 2017 and the fifth Ballon d'Or of his career. He was voted as the no.1 footballer by 79 voters in The Guardian's top 100 footballers of the year.

Apart from being the centrepiece of a mighty Real Madrid team that clinched five trophies in the calendar year, the 32-year-old virtuoso continued his usual hobby of breaking records for fun. In 2017, he became the first player to score in every game of the Champions League group stage. Also, he netted 19 Champions League goals this year, surpassing his previous best of 16 in 2015.

Cristiano Ronaldo became the subject of criticism owing to his abysmal conversion rate, but the Real Madrid talisman has been returning to his former best and it won't be long before we see him firing on all cylinders once again.