Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2008 Ballon d’Or Just Beat Messi

Ask any football fan to settle the Messi vs Ronaldo debate and you’ll start an argument that lasts until sunrise. Now there’s fresh fuel. Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2008 Ballon d’Or has been voted the greatest edition of the award in history, edging out Lionel Messi’s 2012 triumph.

What Is the B.O.A.T. Award?

France Football introduced a one-off honour called B.O.A.T., or Greatest Ballon d’Or of All Time. Voting closed at midnight on October 27, 2026, and the result was announced on October 28, just two days after the latest Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Here’s the clever part. Fans weren’t voting for a player’s whole career. They were voting for one specific winning season. That meant supporters could pick a single Ronaldo or Messi masterpiece rather than simply backing their favourite player.

Cristiano Ronaldo Result

Detail	Info
Award	B.O.A.T. (Greatest Ballon d’Or of All Time)
Winner	Cristiano Ronaldo, 2008
Runner-up edition	Lionel Messi, 2012
Next on the list	Ronaldo Nazário, 2002
Voting closed	October 27, 2026
Result announced	October 28, 2026
Who voted	France Football readers and online users
Cost per vote	€1

Messi and Ronaldo dominated the top positions, while Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazário’s 2002 win came next.

Who Was on the Shortlist?

Only players with at least two Ballon d’Or wins qualified. That gave us a stacked list of football royalty:

Lionel Messi: eight wins
Cristiano Ronaldo: five wins
Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Marco van Basten: three each
Ronaldo Nazário, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Kevin Keegan, Franz Beckenbauer, Alfredo Di Stéfano: two each

Wait, Fans Paid to Vote?

Yes, and that’s the twist people are talking about. Each vote cost one euro, and voters also entered a draw for two tickets to the 2027 Ballon d’Or ceremony. According to the French publication, 5,009 people voted more than once:

44 people cast between 10 and 26 votes.
300 people voted between five and nine times.
4,665 people voted between two and four times.

So this was part popularity contest and part fan passion project, with a little revenue on the side.

Why 2008 Still Feels Special?

Ronaldo’s first Ballon d’Or came during his Manchester United days, and it launched one of the great individual careers in the sport. Winning the B.O.A.T. title for that very first trophy says a lot. Fans clearly remember the explosive, fearless version of him that announced himself to the world.

Of course, this was a fan vote, not a verdict from journalists or experts, so don’t expect it to end the debate. Messi supporters will point to his eight awards, and the argument will roll on.

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