Cristiano Ronaldo beats Lionel Messi to win inaugural award

Ronaldo won the inaugural Ballon d'Or of All Time award in a fan vote, beating Messi and eight other legendary players.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been crowned the winner of the inaugural Ballon d'Or of All Time (BOAT) award, a new category introduced at this year's Ballon d'Or ceremony. The award recognises the greatest Ballon d'Or winner of all time, determined by fan voting among ten legendary players who have won the prize multiple times.

Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or recipient, triumphed over his generational rival Lionel Messi and eight other greats including Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Michel Platini, Ronaldo Nazário, Franz Beckenbauer, Kevin Keegan, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Ronaldo's 2008 season—when he won his first Ballon d'Or at Manchester United after scoring 42 goals in all competitions—finished first in the voting, with Messi's 2012 season in second place and Ronaldo's 2017 award in third.

The Al Nassr forward has long expressed his ambition to be regarded as the greatest footballer of all time. His 2008 triumph at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, which included Premier League and Champions League titles, marked the beginning of his ascent to the elite of world football, leading to his record £80million move to Real Madrid in 2009, where he won four more Ballon d'Ors.