'The Ballon d’Or of All Time is also yours': Ronaldo thanks fans after winning B.O.A.T. poll
Cristiano Ronaldo has been voted the winner of the inaugural Ballon d’Or of All Time poll, with his 2008 season named the greatest in the award’s 70-year history. He thanked supporters on X on Thursday, saying the honour belongs to them too.
His message read: “Football belongs to the fans! Thank you to all the fans around the world, the Ballon D’Or of All Time is also yours.”
The post had drawn more than 12.9 million likes within hours.
The B.O.A.T. (Best of All Time) poll was created by France Football to mark the Ballon d’Or’s 70th anniversary. Fans were asked to pick the most memorable Ballon d’Or-winning campaign, rather than a player, through the official Ballon d’Or platform.
Only players who had won the trophy more than twice were eligible. Voting ran from October 1 to October 27, with each vote costing one euro and no cap on how many a fan could cast, and entrants went into a draw for tickets to the 2027 ceremony.
Ronaldo’s 2008 campaign dominated, taking 75 per cent of the vote according to Marca. Lionel Messi’s 2012 season came second on nine per cent, followed by Ronaldo’s 2017 triumph on six per cent. Messi’s 2023 win finished fourth.
The two rivals filled the top 12 places between them. Ronaldo Nazario’s 2002 season, which ended 13th, was the first to break the run. The shortlist also included Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Marco van Basten, Franz Beckenbauer and Alfredo Di Stefano.
At 23, Ronaldo scored 42 goals in 49 appearances in 2007-08, 31 of them in the Premier League. Manchester United won the league and the Champions League, with Ronaldo top scorer in both and on target in the final against Chelsea, which United won on penalties.
That season brought his first Ballon d’Or, and four more followed, in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017, all while at Real Madrid. He also collected the Premier League Golden Boot, the European Golden Shoe and the FIFA World Player of the Year award for 2008.
Messi’s 2012 year, in which he scored a record 91 goals in a calendar year, could not overhaul it. Portugal’s football federation hailed its captain, saying the greatest Ballon d’Or winner of all time is Portuguese.
Organisers stressed there is no physical trophy and that the poll does not count as an extra official Ballon d’Or. Their aim, they said, was to let fans make their voices heard. Some reports say over 5,000 fans voted repeatedly.
The result arrives days after Harry Kane was named the 2026 men’s Ballon d’Or winner. Ronaldo, 41, remains international football’s all-time leading scorer with 143 goals in 225 appearances for Portugal and is still pursuing 1,000 career goals.