Ronaldo’s 2008 Ballon d’Or Named Best of All Time in Fan Vote

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2008 campaign, when he won his first Ballon d’Or as a Manchester United player, was voted the greatest in the award’s history in a public poll marking its 70th anniversary. The BOAT ranking placed Lionel Messi’s 2012 campaign second and Ronaldo’s 2017 campaign third, followed by Messi’s 2023 season and Ronaldo’s 2016 campaign. Ronaldo scored 42 goals in all competitions that season and helped Manchester United win the Premier League and UEFA Champions League. The ranking compares individual award-winning campaigns; it is not a new official Ballon d’Or or a judgment on the players’ overall careers.