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Cristiano Ronaldo has beaten long-time rival Lionel Messi to win France Football magazine’s new B.O.A.T. award, which recognises the greatest Ballon d’Or-winning season in history.
The Portuguese superstar emerged winner with his 2008 Ballon d’Or edition, beating Messi’s 2012 triumph in a public vote organised by the French magazine.
The award, whose name stands for “Greatest Ballon d’Or of All Time”, was introduced around this year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony to celebrate the most outstanding individual campaigns by previous winners of football’s most prestigious individual prize.
Unlike the traditional Ballon d’Or, which is decided by journalists, the B.O.A.T. award was determined by votes from France Football’s users. Voters selected a specific year in which a player won the award rather than choosing a footballer’s overall career.
Ronaldo’s 2008 victory was his first Ballon d’Or title. His winning campaign placed him ahead of Messi’s 2012 edition, while Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazário’s 2002 triumph also featured among the nominated editions.
The nominees included players who had won the Ballon d’Or at least twice in their careers. They included Messi, Ronaldo, Ronaldo Nazário, Marco van Basten, Michel Platini, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Kevin Keegan, Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff and Alfredo Di Stéfano.
Ronaldo’s nominated editions were 2008, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, while Messi’s included 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
However, participating in the public vote came at a cost, as users had to pay one euro per vote. Two tickets to attend the 2027 Ballon d’Or ceremony were also offered through a raffle.
According to the French publication, 5,009 people voted more than once. Of that number, 44 voters cast between 10 and 26 votes, 300 voted between five and nine times, while 4,665 voted between two and four times.
The result adds another distinction to the long-running rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi, whose individual achievements have dominated world football for more than a decade.
