Cristiano Ronaldo elected greatest Ballon d'Or of all time by public vote ahead of Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo was crowned “Ballon d’Or of all time” (BOAT) by the public in a vote organised alongside the 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday evening in London. It was his first individual trophy, won in 2008 while playing for Manchester United, that was chosen.

The Portuguese star finished ahead of Lionel Messi, whose 2012 Ballon d’Or — one of eight won by the Argentine — came in second place. Also in contention were all players who have won the trophy at least twice: Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff, Alfredo Di Stefano, Kevin Keegan, Ronaldo Nazario, Michel Platini, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Marco Van Basten.

The 2008 Ballon d’Or rewarded an exceptional season for CR7 with the Red Devils: 42 goals and seven assists in 49 matches, crowned by a Premier League-Ligue des Champions double. A campaign that remains, to this day, one of the most complete of his career.

The vote did, however, have a notable particularity: participation was paid, at one euro per ballot, and voters had the possibility of voting multiple times. A mechanism that raised questions about the representativeness of the result, without calling into question Ronaldo’s worldwide popularity among his fan base.

The London evening also crowned Harry Kane as Ballon d’Or winner for the 2024-2025 edition in the main category.