Cristiano Ronaldo has beaten longtime rival Lionel Messi to win the inaugural B.O.A.T. (Ballon d’Or of All Time) award, with his 2008 Ballon d’Or-winning campaign at Manchester United voted the greatest in the history of the prestigious individual honour.
The Portuguese forward finished ahead of Messi’s remarkable 2012 season in a public vote organized as part of the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the Ballon d’Or.
secured the top position for his performances during the 2007-08 season, when he scored 42 goals across all competitions for Manchester United. His contribution helped the English club win both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League under manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
The 2008 recognition also marked Ronaldo’s first Ballon d’Or triumph. He finished ahead of Barcelona’s and Liverpool’s Fernando Torres in the voting that year, beginning a run that would see him collect five Ballon d’Or awards during his career.
Messi finished second in the B.O.A.T. rankings for his 2012 Ballon d’Or-winning campaign. The Argentine had registered 91 goals across club and international football during that calendar year, setting a record for the most goals scored in a calendar year.
Ronaldo also occupied third position for his 2017 -winning season. Messi’s 2023 campaign finished fourth, while Ronaldo’s 2016 season finished fifth.
The top 10 rankings featured only Ronaldo and Messi’s campaigns, highlighting the two forwards’ dominance in the modern era of the Ballon d’Or.
France Football introduced the B.O.A.T. initiative to mark the 70th anniversary of the Ballon d’Or. It invited football supporters to select the greatest Ballon d’Or-winning season from a shortlist of 10 players who had won the award at least twice.
The nominees included Ronaldo, Messi, Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Marco van Basten, Ronaldo Nazario, Franz Beckenbauer, Kevin Keegan, Alfredo Di Stefano and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Unlike the traditional Ballon d’Or, which is decided through voting by an international panel of journalists, the B.O.A.T. rankings are determined through a public vote. Participation requires payment, with voters also entering a draw for tickets to the 2027 Ballon d’Or ceremony.
However, the B.O.A.T. is not an additional official Ballon d’Or honour or a physical trophy. It is a fan-driven initiative recognizing the most popular Ballon d’Or-winning campaign in the poll.
