Cristiano Ronaldo is to be awarded one of the most prestigious honours in Portugal for his services to the country in a ceremony next week.
The Real Madrid forward will receive the Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique, the Order of Prince Henry, from Portuguese president Anibal Cavaco Silva for contributing to the international image of the country and serving as "an example of tenacity for younger generations".
A statement from the presidency said that Ronaldo had been "a symbol for Portugal throughout the world".
The 28-year-old will receive an honour that was created in 1960 to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of one of the most important figures in the Portuguese Empire.
The ceremony will take place Tuesday at the presidential palace in Belem, just outside Lisbon, less than a week before the Ballon d'Or gala in Zurich, Switzerland on January 13.
Ronaldo, who won the Ballon d'Or in 2008, is one of the three finalists for the 2013 prize alongside Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery.
Source: AFP
