B.O.A.T. Award 2026: Ronaldo’s 2008 Season Beats Messi’s 2012

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2008 triumph has been named the greatest Ballon d’Or win in history, edging Lionel Messi in the first-ever Ballon d’Or of All Time vote, known as the B.O.A.T. award. The result was confirmed on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.

The announcement came two days after the 2026 Ballon d’Or gala, where England’s Harry Kane finished ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal. So within 48 hours, football got a new winner of the present and a fans’ pick for the past.

The twist is that Messi still owns more Ballons d’Or than anyone. He is the record eight-time winner, yet the fans gave the top spot to the first of Ronaldo’s five.

What is the B.O.A.T. award?

B.O.A.T. stands for Ballon d’Or of All Time. It was launched as part of the 70th anniversary celebrations of the prize, which France Football created in 1956. The idea is simple. Instead of asking who the best player in history is, it asks which single Ballon d’Or-winning year was the best.

Only players with at least two Ballons d’Or were eligible. That put 32 winning years from ten players on the ballot, Messi and Ronaldo among them. Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Marco van Basten and Ronaldo Nazário also had their best years in the running.

Voting opened on October 1, and fans had until October 27 to decide the winner, paying €1 to cast a vote. Each vote also counted as an entry into a draw for two tickets to the 2027 Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Is the B.O.A.T. award official?

Not in the way a trophy is. There is no physical trophy for the winner, and the B.O.A.T. should not be confused with the Super Ballon d’Or. That distinction caused some noise before the result. France Football issued a clarification after fans questioned the prestige of the vote and its link to the Super Ballon d’Or. The Super Ballon d’Or was a one-off honour handed out in December 1989, when Alfredo Di Stéfano beat Cruyff and Platini to it.

So it is best described as a commemorative public vote. It carries weight in the debate, but it is not a jury decision.

The full B.O.A.T. ranking: Ronaldo and Messi take the top 12

Ronaldo and Messi did not just win. They swallowed the table. The rivals won a combined 13 Ballons d’Or, and 12 of those years filled the top 12 places. Here is the top of the final ranking.

Ronaldo Nazário’s 2002 season was the best of anyone outside the Messi-Cristiano duopoly. Further down, Kevin Keegan, Cruyff, Platini and Franz Beckenbauer filled out the middle of the table. Messi’s 2010 win came in at 14th.

Percentages for the final standings were not in the reports available at the time of writing. During the voting, however, a mid-vote tally had Ronaldo’s 2008 campaign out in front with 75%. It was never close for long.

Why Ronaldo’s 2008 beat Messi’s 2012

On paper, 2012 looks like the stronger statistical case. Messi scored a record 91 goals in a calendar year. That number still stands as the most goals in a single year.

But fans did not vote on numbers alone. Ronaldo’s 2008 came with trophies attached, and in the biggest games.

Ronaldo was 23 and the centrepiece of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, who won both the Premier League and the Champions League in 2007-08. He took the Premier League Golden Boot with 31 goals. He also scored eight goals and made two assists in 11 Champions League matches, including a goal in the first all-English final in the competition’s history, where United beat Chelsea on penalties. He finished with 42 goals in all competitions and the European Golden Boot.

It also mattered how the vote went at the time. In 2008, Ronaldo topped the Ballon d’Or voting with 446 points, ahead of Messi on 281, Fernando Torres on 179, Iker Casillas on 133 and Xavi on 97. That was a wide margin, and the B.O.A.T. voters appear to have remembered it that way.

There was history in it too. He became only the third Portuguese player to win the award after Eusébio and Luís Figo, and the first Manchester United player to win it since George Best, 40 years earlier.

Messi’s side of the story

Messi can reasonably say he was ahead of his time. He finished second to Ronaldo in 2008 and won his first Ballon d’Or a year later. He then collected the award in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023.

Even in defeat, Messi had a lot to take from this vote. His 2012 season finished second and his 2023 win ranked fourth, and he holds six of the top 12 places. He just did not hold first.

Nothing in the record books changes. Messi still has eight Ballons d’Or to Ronaldo’s five. No trophy will be presented, and the vote was a fan poll that cost €1 a go.

What it does show is how supporters weigh a great season. Goals and records mattered, but a team lifting the biggest prizes mattered more. For Ronaldo, who is still playing, it is another line in a long list. For the Ronaldo-Messi argument, it gives the Ronaldo camp something new to quote and the Messi camp plenty to dispute.

Frequently asked questions

Who won the B.O.A.T. award?
Cristiano Ronaldo, for his 2008 Ballon d’Or season with Manchester United.

Who came second?
Lionel Messi, for his 2012 Ballon d’Or season at Barcelona.

When was the winner announced?
Wednesday, October 28, 2026, two days after the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony in London.

Who decided the winner?
Fans, through a paid online vote on the Ballon d’Or website. It was not a jury vote.

Is there a B.O.A.T. trophy?
No. It is a recognition, not a physical award.