Ronaldo's 2008 Season Voted Greatest Ballon d'Or Campaign in Fan Poll

France Football launched the B.O.A.T. (Ballon d'Or of All Time) initiative in 2026, a fan-driven poll allowing supporters to vote on the greatest individual season among players who won the Ballon d'Or at least twice. Cristiano Ronaldo's 2008 campaign with Manchester United topped the poll, finishing ahead of Lionel Messi's 2012 season with Barcelona.

Ronaldo's 2008 season was marked by exceptional individual performance. He scored 42 goals and provided 7 assists across all competitions for Manchester United, finishing as the Premier League's top scorer with 31 goals and winning the European Golden Shoe. The club won both the Premier League and UEFA Champions League that season. In the original 2008 Ballon d'Or voting by journalists, Ronaldo received 446 points from 96 voters, significantly ahead of Messi in second place.

The B.O.A.T. poll required voters to pay one euro per vote, with all participants entered into a prize draw for two tickets to the 2027 Ballon d'Or ceremony. Data showed that 5,009 individuals voted multiple times: 44 people voted between 10 and 26 times, 300 voted between 5 and 9 times, and 4,665 voted between 2 and 4 times. Ronaldo's different Ballon d'Or-winning seasons also dominated the results—his 2017, 2016, 2014, and 2013 campaigns finished third, fifth, sixth, and eighth respectively. Messi's editions from 2023, 2015, 2011, 2009, 2019, 2021, and 2010 placed fourth, seventh, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and fourteenth. Ronaldo and Messi occupied the top 12 spots combined; Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazário's 2002 campaign placed thirteenth.

France Football clarified that the B.O.A.T. was a commemorative fan engagement project without an official physical trophy, maintaining the historical integrity of the formal Ballon d'Or awarded by journalists. The initiative reignited comparisons between Ronaldo and Messi, whose rivalry has dominated world football for over a decade. Portugal's national team federation subsequently offered congratulations to Ronaldo via official channels, marking a positive development following a disciplinary incident during the previous international break when Ronaldo left the national team training camp before a UEFA Nations League match against Denmark. He had received a 30-day suspension and a €255 fine, which expired before the next international window in November.