Ronaldo kept getting better and better with each season that passed and so confident was Sir Alex Ferguson in the young Portuguese’s abilities that he began to build a team around him, even selling prolific terrace hero Ruud van Nistelrooy. It took a couple of years for the risk to come off but in 2006-07 United started to really reap the rewards; Ronaldo broke the 20-goal barrier for the first time, with 17 coming in the league — including a majestic solo effort to secure a late victory at Fulham, hailed as one of the key results in the race for the title.So Ronaldo wins the Fifa player of the year award for the fourth time in five years. That’s five awards apiece for him and Messi, the Argentinian’s golden period coming when he won four in a row between 2009 and 2012.