France and Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann said he felt "a little disappointment" at finishing third in the Ballon d'Or vote but conceded he had finished behind "two monsters of the game."
After scoring 32 goals in 54 competitive club appearances last season as Atletico finished third in La Liga and runners-up in the Champions League, Griezmann also top-scored at Euro 2016 as hosts France finished runners-up.
In the end, he polled 198 points in the vote by France Football's handpicked panel of journalists worldwide, behind only winner Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid (745 points) and Barcelona's Lionel Messi (316 points).
"They are two monsters of the game, two legends, and, to be just behind them, I'm proud, I'm happy," said Griezmann, who polled just in front of Messi's Barca teammates Luis Suarez and Neymar. "I have to keep going like this, keep scoring, keep enjoying myself on the pitch and giving happiness to the people watching."
He added: "I'm really proud, very happy, but there's also a little disappointment. But I'm happy to be third, and want to thank those who voted. I'll keep working, I'm on the right track, keep enjoying myself on the pitch."
The former Real Sociedad forward's achievements in 2016 had meant he had been touted as a potential surprise winner, notably by France coach Didier Deschamps.
Griezmann hopes to continue his upward trajectory to reinforce his bid come next year.
"It's going to be hard," he said. "We'll try. I hope 2017 will be the same as this one."