Cristiano Ronaldo feels 2016 has been the best year of his career to date and he feels it should be rewarded with a third Ballon d’Or award.

The Portuguese lifted the prestigious Fifa award in 2013 and 2014 but he lost out to his old rival Lionel Messi last year.

The two players have owned the award since 2011, finishing either first or second in each of the last five years.

Fresh from scoring a hat-trick in the Madrid derby win over Atletico at Vicente Calderon on Saturday, Ronaldo was quick to sharpen his focus on the next treble target.

The 31-year-old was eager to point out the successes that he has enjoyed this year and he makes no secret of his desire to win a another Ballon d’Or.

“I’ve done everything for this season,” he told Telefoot. “We won the Champions League, I won the Euros with Portugal. The vote doesn’t depend on me and I don’t want to be obsessed with it.

“But if you ask me if I want to win the Ballon d’Or, I’d say yes. This year has been amazing for me, with all the trophies.

It’s my best season, no doubt about that.” The 3-0 win over Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid means Real have opened up a four-point cushion at the summit of La Liga.

Champions Barcelona were held to a scoreless draw by nine-man Malaga at Camp Nou on Saturday, bringing to an end their four-game winning sequence.

The clubs will meet in the Catalan city on December 3. Real Madrid are 1.80 to win the Spanish title this season, with Barcelona now 2.10.