Cristiano Ronaldo has been voted the winner of the inaugural BOAT award (Ballon d’Or of All Time), with supporters selecting his 2008 season as the greatest campaign in the history of the individual prize.
Ronaldo’s Manchester United performances that year defeated Lionel Messi’s 2012 season with Barcelona in the final result. Only the two long-standing rivals finished in the top 10 after voting closed.
The award placed Ronaldo’s 2008 campaign alongside some of football’s most celebrated seasons. Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Marco van Basten, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Kevin Keegan and Franz Beckenbauer were also included, as were Real Madrid icon Alfredo Di Stefano and Brazilian great Ronaldo Nazario.
Ronaldo was 23 when he won the 2008 Ballon d’Or. During that season, he scored 42 goals in all competitions for Manchester United, including 31 in the Premier League, where he finished as the competition’s Golden Boot winner.
Supporters paid €1 per vote to put Ronaldo at the top of the poll, although the BOAT award is not a physical trophy.
The result adds another chapter to the debate over Ronaldo and Messi, who have dominated individual honours for much of their careers. Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or five times, while his 2008 season was chosen ahead of Messi’s prolific 2012 campaign.
After that Manchester United season, Ronaldo moved on to spend nine years with Real Madrid. He won the Champions League four times during his time at the Spanish club and further established his status as one of football’s all-time greats.
Ronaldo’s current form has also kept him in the spotlight. He reached 982 career goals last week when Al-Nassr defeated Al-Faisaly 3–1 in the Saudi Pro League.
The forward scored in the 49th minute, heading in a Joao Felix free-kick. At 41 years old, he is continuing his pursuit of 1000 goals, with fans backing him to finish ahead of Messi in the BOAT vote.
