Cristiano Ronaldo has beaten Lionel Messi to the inaugural Ballon d’Or of All Time (B.O.A.T.) award, with his 2008 season at Manchester United finishing ahead of the Argentine’s remarkable 2012 campaign in a public vote. Ronaldo topped the rankings after a season in which he scored 42 goals across all competitions and helped Manchester United win both the Premier League and UEFA Champions League. Messi finished second for the year in which he scored a record 91 goals for club and country, while Ronaldo’s 2017 campaign took third place. The result adds another chapter to one of football’s biggest rivalries, with the two superstars accounting for all of the top 12 positions in the final rankings.
The B.O.A.T. award, which stands for Best Of All Time, was introduced by France Football as part of the celebrations marking the Ballon d’Or’s 70th anniversary, with UEFA also associated with the initiative. Fans were asked to choose the greatest Ballon d’Or-winning season from a shortlist of players who had won the award at least twice. The poll opened on October 1 and closed on October 27, with each vote costing €1. It is worth noting that the result reflects the public’s choice of the best individual season in the poll, rather than a definitive verdict on the long-running debate over who is the greatest footballer of all time.
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