Ballon d'Or: The top 10

1st - Ronaldo

As previously mentioned, the winner was surprisingly announced before the rest of the top five and it was Cristiano Ronaldo who scooped the top award.

Follow the the Ballon d'Or with us, as we count down the top 10 players until the winner is named.

2nd place - Lionel Messi

It had to be Leo. The Argentinian pushed Ronaldo all the way, but in the end it would have been hard to give the award to anyone else given the Portuguese's excepttional season. That concludes the top 10 for the Ballon d'Or!

3rd place - Antoine Griezmann

As expected, the Frenchman comes in third place after a fine season. The striker was one of Atletico's standout performers in a season which probably deserved some silverware and also finished top scorer at Euro 2016.

4th place - Luis Suarez

The Uruguayan finishes in fourth place after an exceptional season with Barcelona. It surely has to be Griezmann now for third place?

5th place - Neymar

The Brazilian finishes in fifth place after winning La Liga with Spain and also the Olympic Games with Brazil.

The winner has been announced

Cristiano has won his fourth Ballon d'Or, but we're still waiting for numbers 2-5 to be announced.

6th - Gareth Bale

The Real Madrid and Wales star is deservedly named in 6th place after winning the Champions League and reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2016 with Wales.

7th - Riyad Mahrez

Another Leicester player's achievements are acknowledged for their fairytale season. The Algerian was central in the Foxes title win and won the PFA Player of the Year Award.

8th - Jamie Vardy

The Leicester striker is rewarded for a wonderful season with Leicester which saw his meteoric rise end with him finishing as a Premier League champion and second top scorer in the Premier League.

Joint 9th - Buffon and Pepe

Buffon gets into the top 10 after another trophy laden season with Juventus. Meanwhile, Pepe also earns a place in the top 10 after winning the Champions League with Real Madrid and Euro 2016 with Portugal.

Follow the the Ballon d'Or with us, as we count down the top 10 players until the winner is named.