Real Madrid's Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo delivers a speech after winning the FIFA Men's Player of the Year 2016 award during the FIFA Awards 2016 gala at the Swiss TV studio in Zurich, Switzerland, Jan 9, 2017. [Photo/IC]

"I would like Messi to have been here today but they have an important game on Wednesday and we can understand that," he said after accepting the award from FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

"I don't have much more to say, I think the awards speak for themselves," he added. "I'm very happy and I can say that 2016 was the best year of my career, the trophy shows that people aren't blind and watch the games."

FIFA, which organised the award jointly with France Football magazine from 2010 to 2015 when it was named the Ballon d'Or, rebranded it as "The Best" this year after splitting with the French publication.