Cristiano Ronaldo's legendary 2008 season at Manchester United has been voted the greatest Ballon d'Or-winning campaign in history, beating Lionel Messi's record-breaking 2012. However, the unusual voting system has raised questions about the result.
Cristiano Ronaldo has added another recognition to his remarkable career after winning the inaugural Ballon d'Or of All Time (B.O.A.T.) public vote, organised as part of the prestigious award's 70th anniversary celebrations. The Portuguese superstar's first Ballon d'Or triumph in 2008 was selected as the greatest in the award's history, finishing ahead of Lionel Messi's extraordinary 2012 campaign and Ronaldo's own 2017 victory. The results were officially announced on Wednesday, October 28, just two days after Harry Kane was crowned the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner at a ceremony in London.
According to the official Ballon d'Or announcement, supporters were invited to choose their favourite Ballon d'Or-winning campaign from football legends who had received the prestigious individual honour multiple times. Ronaldo's 2008 victory emerged as the winner, while Messi occupied second place for his historic goalscoring achievements in 2012. Ronaldo also completed the podium with his 2017 triumph, underlining the enduring popularity of the two players whose rivalry dominated world football for more than a decade.
Why Ronaldo's 2008 Ballon d'Or won the vote
Ronaldo's 2007/08 season remains one of the most memorable individual campaigns in Manchester United's history. Playing under Sir Alex Ferguson, the Portuguese forward scored 42 goals in all competitions and helped United secure both the Premier League title and the UEFA Champions League. He finished as the Premier League's leading goalscorer with 31 goals and also topped the Champions League scoring charts with eight, establishing himself as arguably the most influential player in European football that season.
His performances earned him the European Golden Shoe and ultimately his first Ballon d'Or, making him the first Manchester United player to win the award since George Best in 1968. At just 23 years old, Ronaldo had completed his transformation from a promising young winger into one of the world's most feared attacking players. As Manchester United recalled in its tribute, that campaign also placed him alongside club legends George Best, Sir Bobby Charlton and Denis Law as Ballon d'Or winners.
The significance of 2008 extended beyond Ronaldo's individual statistics. His opening goal against Chelsea in the Champions League final in Moscow helped United secure their third European Cup, while his performances throughout the domestic campaign played a crucial role in retaining the Premier League title. The season also marked the beginning of an extraordinary period in which Ronaldo and Messi would dominate football's most prestigious individual award.
Messi's second-place finish came for his 2012 Ballon d'Or, awarded after a calendar year in which he scored an astonishing 91 goals for Barcelona and Argentina. The Argentine's achievements remain among the most remarkable individual scoring records in football history, but they were not enough to surpass Ronaldo's 2008 campaign in this particular fan poll. Ronaldo's 2017 victory, achieved during another trophy-laden period at Real Madrid, completed the top three.
The €1 voting controversy
Despite the attention surrounding Ronaldo's victory, the competition's voting procedure has attracted criticism. Unlike the traditional Ballon d'Or, which is decided by a panel of journalists, the B.O.A.T. initiative allowed supporters to cast votes online by paying €1 for each entry. Crucially, participants were permitted to vote more than once, meaning the final rankings reflected the total number of votes submitted rather than the preferences of an equal number of individual supporters.
The organisers confirmed in the official voting results that 5,009 people had cast multiple votes. Of those, 4,665 voted between two and four times, while another 300 voted between five and nine times. Most notably, 44 participants submitted between 10 and 26 votes each. The system also offered participants a historic photograph of the first Ballon d'Or from 1956 and entry into a prize draw for tickets to the 2027 ceremony.
Before voting closed on October 27, Ronaldo's 2008 campaign had already established a commanding lead. An official update published by the organisers showed that he had received 75% of the votes at that stage, compared with 9% for Messi's 2012 triumph and 6% for Ronaldo's 2017 victory. Those figures, however, represented an interim count rather than the final percentages, and the ability to submit multiple votes means they cannot be interpreted as the proportion of individual football fans who preferred one player over another.
The organisers also stressed that B.O.A.T. was designed as a celebration of football history rather than a new competitive trophy. In an official explanation of the initiative, they clarified that the poll would not create an additional Ballon d'Or award. As a result, Ronaldo remains a five-time winner of the traditional prize, while Messi continues to hold the all-time record with eight.
Ronaldo and Messi dominate the historical ranking
The final standings provided another illustration of the two superstars' extraordinary dominance. Ronaldo and Messi occupied every position in the top 12, with the Portuguese forward appearing five times and the Argentine seven times. Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazário was the first player outside the pair to appear in the ranking, finishing 13th for his 2002 Ballon d'Or victory.
The top five consisted of Cristiano Ronaldo's 2008 triumph, Messi's 2012 victory, Ronaldo's 2017 award, Messi's 2023 success and Ronaldo's 2016 win. Other legendary players featured further down the rankings included Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Franz Beckenbauer, Marco van Basten and Kevin Keegan, highlighting the historical scope of a competition that brought together some of the most celebrated names in football.
While the result has inevitably added another chapter to the Ronaldo-Messi debate, the distinction between a popular vote and an official sporting award remains important. The B.O.A.T. poll asked supporters to select a particular Ballon d'Or-winning campaign, rather than determine the greatest footballer across an entire career. Ronaldo's victory therefore represents recognition from participating fans for his unforgettable 2008 season, not an official judgement that he ranks above every other player in football history.
Cristiano Ronaldo reacts to Ballon d'Or of All Time victory
Ronaldo himself responded to the result on Thursday, October 29, dedicating the recognition to the supporters who backed him in the historic vote. The 41-year-old Al-Nassr forward shared a message on his official X account, accompanied by a photograph of himself kissing his first Ballon d'Or trophy from 2008. Rather than using the occasion to revisit his long-running rivalry with Messi, the Portuguese superstar chose to highlight the importance of football fans and their role in deciding the outcome.
"Football belongs to the fans! Thank you to all the fans around the world, the Ballon D’Or of All Time is also yours," Ronaldo wrote. His reaction was widely reported by beIN SPORTS, with the message quickly attracting attention across social media. Nearly 18 years after receiving his first Ballon d'Or as a Manchester United player, Ronaldo has once again seen that unforgettable season recognised, this time directly by supporters rather than football journalists.
Published by Patrick Jane
29.10.2026