Cristiano Ronaldo has won a brand new fan vote that picked the best single Ballon d’Or win in history. His first award, from 2008, finished ahead of every other win on the list, including those of his big rival Lionel Messi. The result came out on Wednesday and has already sparked a loud debate among football fans. If you want an easy guide to what happened, this simple breakdown gives you the facts.
What is the boat award?
The boat award is a new honour created by the Ballon d’Or this year. BOAT stands for Ballon d’Or of All Time. The idea is simple. Fans decide which individual Ballon d’Or victory was the best ever. Many people have been searching for the boat ballon d or since the news broke, so here is the easy version.
Only players who had won the Ballon d’Or more than once could take part. Each of their wins went on the list as a separate entry. That means the vote was not about a full career. It was about one winning year.
The voting rules were easy to follow. Fans had to pay €1 to cast a vote. Voting opened on 1 October and closed on 27 October. There is no physical trophy for the winner. It is a title that recognises the choice of the fans.
Who won the boat?
So, who won the boat? Cristiano Ronaldo did, and the answer is easy to remember. His 2008 win was voted the greatest Ballon d’Or victory of all time. It was the first of his five Ballon d’Or awards. Fans seem to have decided that his very first one was also his best.
This is the ballon d’or of all time as chosen by supporters. It is not a ruling from a panel of experts. It is a simple fan verdict, and that is part of why it has caught so much attention.
The news came just two days after Harry Kane won the 2026 Ballon d’Or. It has been a big week for the sport’s most famous individual award.
Why the 2008 win was so special
Ronaldo was only 23 years old when he won in 2008. He was playing for Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, and the team had a season to remember. United won both the Premier League and the Champions League in the 2007 to 2008 campaign.
Ronaldo was the star of that side. He won the Premier League Golden Boot with 31 goals. In the Champions League, he scored eight goals and set up two more in 11 matches. He also scored in the final against Chelsea, which United won on penalties. It was the first Champions League final in history between two English clubs.
Across all competitions, he finished the year with 42 goals. He also took home the European Golden Boot. The numbers are easy to read, and they are simple proof of a brilliant season.
In 2008, Ronaldo beat Messi and Fernando Torres to the Ballon d’Or. He went on to win four more during his time at Real Madrid. That made him a legend long before he reached his thirties.
How Messi and the other greats finished
Messi did not go home empty handed in this contest. His 2012 win finished second. That was the year he set a record for the most goals in a single calendar year, with 91. Ronaldo’s final Ballon d’Or win, in 2017, came third.
This is notable because Messi is the player with the most Ballon d’Or wins in history. Even so, the fans picked Ronaldo’s first. The two rivals have won 13 Ballon d’Or awards between them. Twelve of those wins filled the top twelve places in this vote.
Here is a simple look at the top ten:
| Rank | Player | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 2008 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | 2012 |
| 3 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 2017 |
| 4 | Lionel Messi | 2023 |
| 5 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 2016 |
| 6 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 2014 |
| 7 | Lionel Messi | 2015 |
| 8 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 2013 |
| 9 | Lionel Messi | 2011 |
| 10 | Lionel Messi | 2009 |
The full list had 32 entries. It also included names from football history such as Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Franz Beckenbauer and Marco van Basten. Another famous Ronaldo, the Brazilian Ronaldo Nazário, appeared in 13th place for his 2002 win and 15th for his 1997 win.
Did ronaldo win the super ballon d’or?
This is where many fans get confused. If you are asking did ronaldo win the super ballon d’or, the answer is no. The BOAT award is not the same thing as the super ballon d’or.
The Super Ballon d’Or is a separate and special honour. It was handed out once, in 1989, to Alfredo Di Stéfano. The new boat award was launched for a different reason. It gives fans a way to judge the best individual award win by players who won more than once.
So Ronaldo can now say he won the boat award. He cannot say he won the Super Ballon d’Or. It is an easy point to mix up, but the two honours are not linked.
What this means for football fans in South Africa
South African fans love a good debate about who is the greatest of all time. The Ronaldo and Messi argument has been going for years, and this vote adds a new chapter. Supporters of Ronaldo now have a fresh talking point. Supporters of Messi can point to his record number of wins and his strong showing in the vote.
It is worth remembering what this vote really is. It was open to fans who paid to take part, so it reflects the views of those who chose to vote. It does not settle the debate for good. It simply shows how much people still care about both players.
If you want to follow the main award itself, the official Ballon d’Or website is the best place for updates. For football news closer to home, the South African Football Association shares information about the local game.
The bottom line
Cristiano Ronaldo has added another honour to a long list. His 2008 Ballon d’Or, won at 23 with Manchester United, was voted the best in history. Lionel Messi finished second with his 2012 win, and the two rivals dominated the top of the table.
To sum it up in an easy way: the vote was run by the Ballon d’Or, decided by fans, and open only to players with more than one win. Ronaldo’s first Ballon d’Or came out on top. There is no trophy, but the title is a simple reminder of how brilliant that 2008 season was.
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