Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2008 Season Voted Greatest Ballon d’Or Campaign

To participate, fans were required to pay a fee of one euro per vote. In exchange for their participation, voters received a historical photograph linked to the first Ballon d’Or edition from 1956.

The B.O.A.T. Vote and Public Participation

Data released by the organization revealed that 5,009 people voted more than once. Specifically, 44 individuals cast between 10 and 26 votes, 300 cast between five and nine, and 4,665 cast between two and four. The voting process opened on October 1 and concluded at midnight on October 27, Paris time.

Ronaldo’s 2008 Season vs. Messi’s 2012 Campaign

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2008 season—the year he secured his first Ballon d’Or while at Manchester United—claimed the top spot. During that campaign, Ronaldo scored 42 goals in 49 appearances, helping his club secure the Premier League title, the UEFA Champions League, and the FIFA Club World Cup. He also finished as the top scorer in both the Champions League with 8 goals and the Premier League with 31 goals, which equaled a record held by Alan Shearer from 1996. In the league, he outperformed Emmanuel Adebayor and Fernando Torres, who both had 24 goals. This achievement made Ronaldo the third Portuguese player to win the award, following Eusébio in 1965 and Luís Figo in 2000.

Lionel Messi’s 2012 season, which saw the Argentine score 91 goals in a calendar year, finished in second place. Reports indicate that the 2008 version of Ronaldo attracted more than five times the number of votes as Messi’s 2012 campaign. The voting remained a two-man race for the majority of the top 12 positions. The dominance of the two rivals was only interrupted at the 13th spot, where Ronaldo Nazário’s 2002 campaign placed as the highest-ranked entry outside of the duo. Ronaldo Nazário also appeared in the rankings with his 1997 win, placing 15th.

The final standings showed a significant presence for both stars. Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2017 campaign with Real Madrid took third place. His other winning years followed in the top 10, with 2016, 2014, and 2013 placing fifth, sixth, and eighth, respectively. Lionel Messi’s winning years also filled the top 12, including 2023 (4th), 2015 (7th), 2011 (9th), 2009 (10th), 2019 (11th), 2021 (12th), and 2010 (14th).

Clarification on Historical Status

Following confusion regarding the status of the B.O.A.T. award, the organization issued a formal explanation to distinguish it from the Super Ballon d'Or. The latter was a one-time, official historical trophy awarded in 1989 to Alfredo Di Stéfano, who was chosen by journalists, readers, and former winners as the best player of the previous three decades.

The answer is unequivocal: no. They are two entirely distinct initiatives, without any connection between them (…). Unlike the B.O.A.T., the Super Ballon d’Or was an official, physical, and historical trophy delivered by France Football once in history (…). Since then, the Super Ballon d’Or has never been delivered again, and there is, at this moment, no official date for a second edition.

France Football, via Notícias ao Minuto

The poll, which ran from October 1 to October 27, 2026, was limited to players who had won the Ballon d’Or on at least two occasions. Other legends included in the candidate list were Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Franz Beckenbauer, Marco van Basten, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Kevin Keegan, and Alfredo Di Stéfano. The final results also saw Kevin Keegan (1979), Johan Cruyff (1974), Michel Platini (1984), Franz Beckenbauer (1976), and Marco van Basten (1988) enter the top 20 classification.

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