Public votes Ronaldo's 2008 as greatest Ballon d'Or-winning season ever

Ronaldo's 2008 season voted best Ballon d'Or year ever in public poll; Messi's 2012 came second.

The Ballon d'Or committee introduced a new award on Monday at a gala in London: the B.O.A.T. (Best Ballon d'Or-winning year of All Time), decided entirely by public vote. Cristiano Ronaldo's 2008 season won the inaugural award, when he was 23 and playing for Manchester United before his eventual move to Real Madrid, where he would win the prize four more times.

Lionel Messi's 2012 finished second. The top twelve positions were entirely occupied by awards won by Ronaldo and Messi, reflecting public preference for the two most recent superstars among the nominees. Ronaldo Nazário's 2002 came third, followed by Messi's eighth Ballon d'Or. Older winners including Johan Cruijff and Marco van Basten appeared further down the rankings.

The award proved controversial: voters paid €1 per vote, yet over 5,000 people cast multiple votes. The organisation reported that 44 people voted between 10 and 26 times, and 300 voted between 5 and 9 times. Tickets to next year's Ballon d'Or gala were raffled among voters.