A France Football fan poll placed Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United masterclass above Lionel Messi’s 2012, and the Portuguese forward has dedicated the win to supporters.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been named the winner of the Ballon d'Or of All Time, a one-off fan vote run by the French magazine France Football to decide which single Ballon d'Or-winning season was the greatest in football history.
The Portugal captain's 2008 campaign topped the poll, finishing ahead of Lionel Messi's 2012 season. Ronaldo also took third place with his 2017 season, meaning two of the top three entries belong to him.
What Ronaldo said
Ronaldo responded on social media on Thursday, 29 October, as reported by Daily Guide Network. "Football belongs to the fans!" he wrote, adding that the award belongs to supporters around the world as well.
How the vote worked
The exercise, shortened to BOAT, was different from the usual Ballon d'Or. The annual prize is decided by journalists. This one was decided by the public.
Fans were not asked to rank whole careers. They were asked to compare specific award-winning seasons against each other. The shortlist included Ronaldo Nazario of Brazil, Johan Cruyff, Alfredo Di Stefano, Michel Platini, Franz Beckenbauer and Marco van Basten.
Voting was not free. Each entry cost one euro, and people were allowed to vote more than once. Published figures show that 5,009 participants cast multiple votes. That detail matters, because it means the result reflects how many votes were bought as much as how many individuals took part.
France Football has presented the BOAT as a symbolic, fan-voted distinction. It does not change the official record of any Ballon d'Or winner.
Why 2008 stands out
Ronaldo was 23 when he produced the season that won the poll. Playing for Manchester United in the 2007\u201308 campaign, he scored 42 goals in 49 appearances.
United won both the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, which is European club football's top competition. Ronaldo's 31 league goals earned him the Premier League Golden Boot and the European Golden Shoe, given to the leading scorer across Europe's top leagues.
That season brought him the first of his five Ballon d'Or titles and pushed him into the small group of players considered the best in the world. He joined Real Madrid the following year, in 2009.
What it means for fans here
The Ronaldo and Messi argument has been a staple of conversation in Ghanaian viewing centres, offices and WhatsApp groups for close to two decades, and the same debate follows Ghanaians living in the United States. This poll will not settle it. It was a paid fan vote, not a technical assessment, and the two players' official honours remain unchanged.
What it does confirm is the pulling power both men still have, years after that 2008 season in Manchester.
