Football · London

Ronaldo's 2008 Ballon d'Or season wins France Football's public BOAT vote

Fans voting in France Football's new BOAT poll ranked Cristiano Ronaldo's 2008 season as the best Ballon d'Or campaign of all time, ahead of Lionel Messi's 2012 season. The final ranking was published on 28 October 2026.

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In brief

London · United Kingdom

How it came to this

1 OctPublic vote opens
20 OctOrganisers report Ronaldo's 2008 season at 75% of votes
27 OctVoting closes
28 OctFinal ranking published

The result

France Football's Ballon d'Or of All Time (BOAT) ranks the best single season among players who have won the award at least twice. Fans decided the order, and the final ranking was published on 28 October 2026. Cristiano Ronaldo's 2008 season, when he won his first Ballon d'Or with Manchester United, came first. Lionel Messi's 2012 season, which included 91 goals, placed second, and Ronaldo's 2017 season completed the podium in third.

Ronaldo Nazário's 2002 season was the first to break the run of the two stars, placing 13th. Ronaldo and Messi held the top 12 places between them. Ronaldo's five Ballon d'Or seasons, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017, all finished among the top eight.

How the vote worked

The vote ran from 1 to 27 October, and every vote cost one euro. Only players who had won the Ballon d'Or at least twice were eligible, which left ten candidates: Messi, Ronaldo, Ronaldo Nazário, Van Basten, Platini, Rummenigge, Keegan, Beckenbauer, Cruyff and Di Stéfano. Each candidate carried one entry for every Ballon d'Or win, so Messi had eight entries, Ronaldo five, Cruyff, Platini and Van Basten three each, and the rest two.

Ballon d'Or wins among BOAT candidatesBallon d'Or wins

Data from the article text

France Football stressed that the BOAT is neither a physical trophy nor an official award presented at the ceremony. It is also distinct from the Super Ballon d'Or given to Alfredo Di Stéfano in 1989. According to France Football, 5,009 people voted more than once, and 44 of them voted between 10 and 26 times.

Vote progression

Organisers' figures from 20 October showed Ronaldo's 2008 season with 75% of the votes, Messi's 2012 season with 9%, and Ronaldo's 2017 season with 6%. That snapshot was taken before voting closed, and Ronaldo's lead at that point matched the final result, which put his 2008 season first.

BOAT vote share on 20 October 2026% of votes

Data from the article text

Ronaldo's 2008 season and the gala

Ronaldo was 23 during the 2007-08 season, when he scored 42 goals in 49 matches, 31 of them in the Premier League, and won the European Golden Boot. He led Manchester United to the league and Champions League double, and he received his first Ballon d'Or at the end of that year. Messi remains the player with the most Ballon d'Or wins among the candidates, with eight, while Ronaldo has five.

Ronaldo was not nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or and did not attend the gala in London on Monday, 26 October. The BOAT result therefore came from a fan poll rather than from the ceremony that week.

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