Cristiano Ronaldo has won another round in football’s never-ending GOAT debate, and this time, the voters have delivered a result that will keep the internet busy for days.
The Portuguese superstar’s outstanding 2007/08 campaign with Manchester United has officially emerged as the greatest Ballon d’Or-winning season in history, beating Lionel Messi’s legendary 2012 campaign to the top spot in the Ballon d’Or of All Time (B.O.A.T.) fan poll.
France Football announced the result on Wednesday, October 28, confirming what Ronaldo supporters had spent much of the voting period celebrating. Messi finished second, while Ronaldo’s 2017 campaign took third place. Messi’s 2023 season came fourth, and Ronaldo’s 2016 campaign completed the top five. 
In other words, Ronaldo occupies three of the five highest-ranked positions, leaving Messi with the remaining two. For a rivalry that has survived nearly two decades, several managerial sackings, countless El Clásicos and enough statistical comparisons to fill a university library, this is another gift that keeps giving.
Naturally, Ronaldo’s supporters are celebrating. Meanwhile, Messi’s fans have a fresh leaderboard to dissect, debate and possibly appeal to the Court of Football Twitter.
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Why Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2008 season deserved the Ballon d’Or Of All Time
To understand why Ronaldo’s 2008 campaign attracted so much support, we need to return to Manchester United’s extraordinary 2007/08 season.
Under Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo produced arguably the finest campaign of his first spell at Old Trafford. He scored 42 goals in 49 appearances across all competitions, helping United win both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
His 31 Premier League goals earned him the Golden Boot, while eight goals made him the Champions League’s leading scorer.
Ronaldo also delivered when it mattered most. He scored United’s opening goal in the Champions League final against Chelsea in Moscow, powering a header beyond Petr Čech. Although he later missed his penalty in the shootout, United eventually prevailed to claim European football’s biggest club prize.
The Premier League title and Champions League trophy gave Ronaldo the perfect combination of individual brilliance and team success. He did not simply produce ridiculous numbers while his teammates collected souvenirs; he played a central role in winning two of football’s most coveted competitions.
His achievements earned him the 2008 Ballon d’Or, his first of five career victories. He also collected several major individual honours, including the FIFA World Player of the Year award and the PFA and FWA Players’ Player of the Year and Footballer of the Year awards, respectively.
That is a formidable collection of achievements for a player who was still in his early twenties.
Ronaldo’s 2008 campaign was not merely about scoring goals. It marked the moment he firmly established himself among the world’s elite, combining his explosive wing play with the ruthless finishing that would define much of his later career.
And judging by the B.O.A.T. results, fans still believe that season deserves special recognition.
Messi’s 91 goals could not beat Ronaldo’s trophy haul
Of course, no discussion of the B.O.A.T. poll would be complete without Lionel Messi’s astonishing 2012 campaign.
Messi scored 91 goals for club and country during the calendar year, breaking Gerd Müller’s long-standing record of 85 goals in a calendar year. He scored 79 times for Barcelona and added 12 goals for Argentina.
It remains one of the most remarkable individual scoring achievements football has witnessed. Even in a sport where supporters routinely describe their favourite striker as a machine, 91 goals in 12 months is the sort of statistic that makes ordinary footballers look as though they have been playing with their boots on the wrong feet.
Yet Messi’s 2012 campaign finished second in the B.O.A.T. poll.
A calendar year is different from a football season
There is an important distinction here, however: 91 goals in a calendar year is not the same thing as 91 goals in a single football season.
A calendar year runs from January to December and can include matches from two different club seasons. Messi’s record combined his performances during the second half of the 2011/12 season and the first half of 2012/13, alongside his appearances for Argentina.
His 2012 Ballon d’Or victory recognised his performances across that calendar year, while Ronaldo’s 2008 campaign is commonly remembered for his remarkable 2007/08 season.
Messi’s 2012 achievement was extraordinary, but Barcelona did not dominate the major trophies during the 2011/12 season in the way Manchester United did in 2007/08. Barcelona won the Copa del Rey, while Real Madrid claimed La Liga and Chelsea won the Champions League.
Ronaldo, by contrast, finished his celebrated campaign with both the Premier League and Champions League titles.
That difference provides a compelling argument for Ronaldo’s supporters: individual statistics matter, but so does delivering the biggest prizes.
Messi fans will understandably argue that goalscoring consistency and individual brilliance deserve greater weight. And they have a point. But if the question is which Ballon d’Or-winning campaign best combined personal excellence with major team success, Ronaldo’s 2008 season has a particularly strong case.
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Ronaldo’s 2016 and 2017 seasons make it three in the top five Ballon d’Or Of All Time
Perhaps the most striking feature of the final B.O.A.T. rankings is not simply Ronaldo’s victory, but how frequently his name appears near the top.
His 2017 campaign finished third, while his 2016 season placed fifth. That means Ronaldo claimed three of the top five positions, with Messi taking second and fourth.
The 2016 campaign was a particularly memorable one. Ronaldo helped Real Madrid win the Champions League before captaining Portugal to their first major international trophy at the European Championship.
Although injury forced him off during the Euro 2016 final against France, Portugal eventually won 1-0 after extra time. Ronaldo’s tournament contribution, leadership and role in the team’s campaign formed a significant part of his successful year.
His 2017 campaign was equally impressive. Real Madrid won La Liga and successfully defended the Champions League, becoming the first club in the modern Champions League era to retain the title.
Ronaldo scored crucial goals throughout the knockout stages, including a hat-trick against Atlético Madrid in the semi-final and two goals against Juventus in the final.
He won the 2017 Ballon d’Or after another season of decisive performances and major silverware.
So while Messi’s supporters can point to his record-breaking 2012 scoring figures, Ronaldo’s supporters now have three highly ranked campaigns to celebrate. The Portuguese forward has demonstrated that his best years were not isolated flashes of brilliance, but repeated periods of extraordinary achievement.
For Messi fans, that is probably the sort of statistic best viewed after a calming cup of tea.
What the Ballon d’Or Of All Time poll actually tells us
Before Ronaldo supporters declare the GOAT debate officially closed, there is a small detail worth remembering: the B.O.A.T. poll was a public fan vote, not a new official Ballon d’Or trophy.
France Football introduced the initiative to mark the award’s 70th anniversary, inviting supporters to choose the greatest Ballon d’Or-winning campaign from a shortlist of 32 seasons featuring 10 multiple-time winners.
The voting system charged €1 per vote and permitted repeat voting. According to the official results page, 5,009 people voted more than once. Of those, 4,665 voted between two and four times, 300 voted between five and nine times, and 44 voted between 10 and 26 times. And, of course, you can be sure of the losing side crying foul, accusing influential supporters, including broadcaster Piers Morgan and Ronaldo’s sister Elma Aveiro, of spending money to manipulate the B.O.A.T. vote.
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Of course, there is no verifiable evidence that this happened, as the Ballon d’Or page has no public voting leaderboard that allows fans to see top voters. Still, the B.O.A.T. poll genuinely deserves scrutiny because it charges for votes and permits repeat purchases. Questioning how such a system works is perfectly reasonable. But questioning the rules is not the same as proving that a particular individual cheated.
That does not automatically invalidate the result, though. Yet the poll should not be mistaken for a representative survey of football fans worldwide.
Still, Ronaldo’s victory is significant within the poll’s stated purpose. His 2008 campaign attracted enough support to finish ahead of Messi’s 2012 season, while his 2016 and 2017 campaigns also secured places in the top five.
For a fan-driven celebration of historic Ballon d’Or victories, that is a substantial endorsement of Ronaldo’s legacy.
Ronaldo vs Messi: The banter is far from over
The final B.O.A.T. rankings have handed Ronaldo’s supporters another reason to celebrate, but they are unlikely to end the debate.
Messi still holds the record for the most Ballon d’Or victories, with eight, compared with Ronaldo’s five. His 91-goal calendar year remains an extraordinary achievement, and his career includes numerous domestic and international honours, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, can point to his five Ballon d’Ors, his Champions League achievements, his international success with Portugal and his remarkable longevity across multiple leagues.
Both players have achieved things that would have sounded absurd if somebody had predicted them at the start of their careers.
The difference lies in how supporters weigh those accomplishments. Some prioritise individual statistics, others prefer major trophies, and many simply believe their favourite player passes the eye test better than the other.
The B.O.A.T. poll has offered another opportunity to argue over those differences, with Ronaldo’s 2008 season emerging as the winning campaign.
And, naturally, football Twitter will ensure that nobody forgets it anytime soon.
Ronaldo fans now have the official results to wave around whenever the debate resurfaces. Messi supporters still have eight Ballon d’Ors and a World Cup to point to. Both sides have enough ammunition to keep the argument alive until the next generation of superstars arrives.
For now, though, Ronaldo’s 2008 season has taken the crown in the B.O.A.T. fan vote. His supporters can enjoy their moment, while Messi’s fans can prepare their counterarguments.
After all, football would be a much quieter place if everybody agreed on everything.
And where would the fun be in that?
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