Award won
Cristiano Ronaldo is the B.O.A.T., the greatest Ballon d'Or of all time
Summarised by MatchPal
Ronaldo's 2008 season voted best Ballon d'Or ever by fans in 70th-anniversary poll; Messi's 2012 finish second.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been crowned the winner of a special B.O.A.T. (Best Of All Time) Ballon d'Or award, voted by fans to mark the 70th anniversary of the prize. His 2008 season—when he won his first Champions League with Manchester United—topped the poll ahead of Lionel Messi's 2012 campaign. Ronaldo's 2017 award, won after leading Real Madrid to Champions League glory in Cardiff, completed the podium.
The fan vote ran from 20–27 October on the official Ballon d'Or website, open only to players who have won the award multiple times. Ten candidates were eligible: Messi, Ronaldo, Ronaldo Nazário, Marco Van Basten, Michel Platini, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Kevin Keegan, Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff and Alfredo Di Stefano. Over 5,000 fans participated, with some voting repeatedly; the organisers noted 300 voted between 5–9 times and 44 between 10–26 times.
Summary by MatchPal from the original report at sport.sky.it. Reporting and images belong to the source.
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Reports on this story
UK times- Sky Sport Italia
- Diario AS
- Marca
- Mundo Deportivo
- Ben Jacobs
- Cristiano Ronaldo is the B.O.A.T., the greatest Ballon d'Or of all timeSky Sport ItaliaThis article
- Cristiano Ronaldo's 2008 Ballon d'Or voted greatest of all timeMundo Deportivo
- Cristiano Ronaldo's 2008 Ballon d'Or win voted 'Ballon d'Or of All Time' ahead of Lionel Messi in 2012Ben Jacobs
- Cristiano wins BOAT award as greatest footballer of all time: his merits and stats for the honourDiario AS
- Cristiano Ronaldo's 2008 Ballon d'Or wins B.O.A.T. award for greatest of all timeMarca
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