Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2008 season at Manchester United won the first Ballon d’Or of All Time poll, finishing ahead of Lionel Messi’s 2012 campaign. Fans voted from Oct. 1 to Oct. 27, 2026, paying €1 per ballot. Portugal’s national team then congratulated him publicly.
Ronaldo’s 2008 year took 75% of the votes in provisional figures released while the poll was still open. Messi’s record-breaking 2012 sat second on 9%, and Ronaldo’s 2017 season was third on 6%. That report put Ronaldo’s 2008 season well ahead in the vote, with 75% of votes in the latest figures it cited, compared with 9% for Messi’s 2012. Final percentages are not given in the material reviewed.
Football belongs to the fans! Thank you to all the fans around the world, the Ballon D’Or of All Time is also yours. pic.twitter.com/S0sLDNiUUY
The €1 ballot and the 5,009 repeat voters
Unlike the regular Ballon d’Or, decided by international journalists, this contest was a public vote. Bolavip US reported that each ballot cost €1, roughly $1.10, with entry into a sweepstakes for future gala tickets. Diario AS described the prize as a drawing for two tickets to the 2027 gala.
Of those, 4,665 voted two to four times, 300 voted five to nine times and 44 voted 10 to 26 times. Voters were limited to players who had won the Ballon d’Or at least twice.
🚨✨ OFFICIAL: Ballon d’Or announce Cristiano Ronaldo 2008 has been voted as the BEST BALLON D’OR OF ALL TIME. 🌕 pic.twitter.com/gr3nYytkiu
That is the context for reading the margin. The poll measures who mobilized, not a panel verdict. Diario AS said the result reflects a paid fan vote rather than a definitive consensus.
The shortlist had ten players. Messi has eight Ballon d’Or wins and Ronaldo five. Marco van Basten, Michel Platini and Johan Cruyff each have three. Ronaldo Nazário, Franz Beckenbauer, Kevin Keegan, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge each have two. ESPN reported that Ronaldo and Messi seasons took the top 12 spots. Ronaldo Nazário’s 2002 campaign ranked 13th.
42 goals against 91: the case each side makes
In 2007-08, Ronaldo scored 42 goals in all competitions. That included 31 Premier League goals and the Golden Boot, plus eight in the Champions League. United beat Chelsea in the final in Moscow on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Ronaldo opened the scoring in that final with a header from a Wes Brown cross, and Frank Lampard equalised for Chelsea. United beat Chelsea on penalties in the Champions League final in Moscow after a 1-1 draw, with Edwin van der Sar saving Nicolas Anelka’s effort to secure victory. The same season brought United the Premier League title, with Ronaldo finishing as the league’s top scorer with 31 goals. Ronaldo was 23 and wore the No. 7 shirt once worn by George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham.
Messi scored 91 goals in 69 matches in 2012. That year also earned him a fourth consecutive Ballon d’Or. Moneycontrol argued that Ronaldo’s year paired individual brilliance with team success, and suggested nostalgia may have played a part.
Critics were blunter. Bolavip US said critics called the format a cash grab that favored organized fan spending, and noted that one-time winners such as Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho and Kaka were excluded.
No trophy, and a France Football disclaimer
The poll marks the award’s 70th anniversary.
Ronaldo thanks fans as Portugal's account hails best Ballon d'Or
Ronaldo posted on social media: Football belongs to the fans! Thank you to all the fans around the world, the Ballon D’Or of All Time is also yours,
as News18 and Bolavip US reported.
🚨 Cristiano Ronaldo: “Football belongs to the fans! Thanks to all the fans around the world. The Ballon d’Or of All Time is also yours”. pic.twitter.com/gPIoO9tF3U
Portugal’s national team account on X wrote that the best Ballon d’Or in history is Portuguese. The federation suspended him for 30 days, ending before the next break, and fined him 255 euros. Coach Jorge Jesus has included him in the expanded preliminary squad for November.
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🏆 @Cristiano has won the @BallondOr Of All Time award for his iconic 2008.Legendary 🐐 pic.twitter.com/lGmF49w0sw