The greatest of all time? Cristiano Ronaldo wins Ballon d’Or fan vote ahead of Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo has beaten Lionel Messi in a very special fan vote.

Fans voted on the official Ballon d'Or website for the most significant Ballon d'Or win by a multiple winner of the award, choosing which year meant the most to them.

Ronaldo topped the results, published on Wednesday evening. Voters picked his 2008 Ballon d'Or win as the B.O.A.T., the Best of All Time.

At 23, Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or for the first time in 2008. He had enjoyed a magnificent 2007/08 season with Manchester United, winning the English league title with the Red Devils and the Champions League for the first time in his career. Across all competitions, he scored 42 goals and provided nine assists. He also finished as top scorer in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

Best Ballon d'Or of all time: Ronaldo and Messi occupy the top 12 places

His 2008 win, the first of five, put CR7 ahead of his former long-time rival Lionel Messi in the fan vote. The Argentinian's 2012 triumph came second, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo's 2017 win in third. Messi and CR7 took all of the top 12 places between them. Ronaldo Nazario was the first other player, in 13th place for his 2002 Ballon d'Or win.

Since early 2023, Ronaldo has played for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. He is now working to reach the milestone of 1,000 career goals. The 41-year-old star striker has 982, putting him close to the mark.

Messi led Argentina to the World Cup final in the summer and was also among the leading contenders in this year's Ballon d'Or vote. The 39-year-old Inter Miami player finished fifth behind Rodri, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe and the newly crowned winner Harry Kane.