Portugal ace Cristiano Ronaldo poses for a photograph with officials in Dubai. File photo

Juventus and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo will be one of the top speakers at this year’s Dubai International Sports Conference (DISC).

The 15th edition of the conference will be conducted under the theme ‘Football at the Top’ scheduled to be held on Sunday at Armani Hotel in Burj Khalifa.
Ronaldo will be joined at the event by Bayern Munich striker, and FIFA Men’s Player of the Year, Robert Lewandowski.

A Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiative, DISC is organised by Dubai Sports Council (DSC) and it has been bringing football’s top names together since 2006 for extensive discussions on ways to develop and enrich the sport at the domestic, regional and international level.

Ronaldo is a regular visitor to Dubai and counts the city among his favourite holiday destinations. He has also been a strong supporter of Dubai International Sports Conference, featuring on its speakers’ panel multiple times in previous years, sharing his experiences with the audience and talking about various aspects related to his celebrated career, and his achievements with different clubs and country.

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A five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or and one of the most decorated players of the modern era, Ronaldo is also a multiple-winner of Dubai Globe football Awards, which are considered part of the ‘Grand Slam’ of football award ceremonies alongside the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA Football Awards.

Playing for his country, Ronaldo has enjoyed success with Portugal, helping his team win the 2016 European Championships and the inaugural UEFA Nations League title. This year he became only the second player in history to reach a century of international goals (102) and is just seven behind Iran's Ali Daei's all-time record.

Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski gestures after scoring a goal. File photo

The Portuguese skipper looks set to add even more individual honours to his collection as he leads the Globe football Awards votes in both the Player of the Year and Player of the Century categories - voted on for the first time by fans.

Lewandowski, meanwhile, will also detail his journey to the top and talk about his insatiable appetite for goals, which saw him score a staggering 55 goals in 47 appearances for Bayern Munich last season, as he finished as top goal scorer in the Bundesliga, the DFB-Pokal and the Champions League.

Lewandowski’s stellar season saw Bayern win every game in Europe, including the Champions League final against Paris St-Germain, as well as the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double at home. The German powerhouses have added the DFB Supercup and UEFA Super Cup to their trophy closet since.

Recognised by UEFA as the European Player of the Year earlier in October, the Poland international was named FIFA Men's Player of the Year last week, ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He became the first Polish player or a player from a German club to win the FIFA Player of the Year award since its inception in 1991, and he is only the second player after Luka Modric in 2018 to break a 13-year Messi-Ronaldo hegemony.