Cristiano Ronaldo has finished ahead of Lionel Messi in a fan poll organised by the Ballon d’Or organisers, with his first award in 2008 voted the greatest Ballon d’Or-winning campaign of all time.
The poll, titled ‘Ballon d’Or of All Time’ (BOAT), invited fans to choose the best winning campaign from across the history of the prestigious football award.
The final results, announced on Wednesday, 28 October, saw Ronaldo’s first Ballon d’Or, won in 2008, take the top spot. Messi’s 2012 award came second, while Ronaldo’s fifth Ballon d’Or, won in 2017, finished third.
Ronaldo played a key role in Manchester United’s Premier League and Champions League triumphs in 2008, scoring 42 goals in 49 appearances during the season.
Messi remains the record holder with eight Ballon d’Or titles, while Ronaldo has won the award five times.
However, the voting process has attracted attention because participants were required to pay one euro for each vote, with multiple votes allowed. Official figures showed that more than 5,000 people voted more than once.
The organisers stressed that the poll was purely a fan-based exercise and did not represent a new official award or an authoritative decision on the greatest footballer of all time.
