LONDON - Cristiano Ronaldo always believed he could become Europe's footballer of the year, but Tuesday's latest award will only sharpen the scrutiny that vexes the Manchester United star.
While the France Football magazine poll emphatically handed the Ballon d'Or to Ronaldo, the 23-year-old winger is braced for further jeers and whistles from envious fans.
For as much as last season's 42-goal haul en route to the Champions League and Premier League titles enthralled the Old Trafford faithful, each strike - from feints, stepovers and thunderous free kicks - just provided further ammunition to rival fans.
Europe's football experts, though, remain in awe of the talent. The Portugal international added to a string of English awards and the FIFPro World Player of the Year trophy he won in October by topping the Golden Ball voting with 446 points. Barcelona striker Lionel Messi lagged behind on 281 and Liverpool forward Fernando Torres was third at 179.
It was nothing less than Ronaldo expected from his earliest days at Sporting Lisbon.
"When I started to be a professional footballer I always believed I would have the chance to win it one day because I think I have the possibility because of my personality and my character," Ronaldo said Tuesday. "And when I joined Manchester United (in 2003) I started to think differently, more professionally.
"When you play around players at one of the big clubs in the world you have opportunity to win things and that's why I was thinking about winning the Ballon D'Or one day."
Manager Sir Alex Ferguson never doubted Ronaldo would become the fourth United player to take the honour and the first since fellow winger George Best in 1968.
"For anyone to beat that performance level last year would have been extraordinary," Ferguson said. "Forty-two goals for a winger is quite unbelievable.
"The thing about Ronaldo is that he wants to play with skill and he wants to use the skill all the time, which is great credit to him. Of course the goals really put the icing on the cake for him."
Ferguson's praise comes on the heels of the off-season's drawn-out transfer saga when Ronaldo tried to force a move to Real Madrid - despite a disappointing showing for Portugal at the European Championship.
The 66-year-old manager was instrumental in persuading United's American owners not to sell the world's most sought-after player, and then jetted to Lisbon to convince him that no club could provide more than United.
Ankle surgery delayed Ronaldo's entry this season until Sept. 17. He has scored eight league goals in 11 games after a sluggish return, while being fully aware that "every movement I make, on or off the pitch is analyzed to death."
"If I don't celebrate goals, it is because I am sad, if I don't talk to the public it is because I have lost my humility," Ronaldo said. "My slightest gesture always gets every type of criticism. People are always waiting for me to do something and they pick on absolutely normal and unimportant things to criticize.
"They analyze things that have nothing unusual about them through a magnifying glass. But I will always be the same regardless of what happens on or off the pitch."
Though he is adored by United fans, Ronaldo's choice of words can sometimes reinforce the views of critics who depict him as arrogant. As he put it: "People only criticize the best, so what else can I say?"