Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2008 season leads Lionel Messi by a huge margin in Ballon d’Or of All Time vote

Cristiano Ronaldo is far ahead of Lionel Messi in the Ballon d’Or of All Time fan vote. France Football opened a public poll to crown the best Ballon d’Or season in history, and Ronaldo’s 2008 award is dominating the standings with just days left to vote.

According to the official Ballon d’Or website, Ronaldo’s 2008 season leads with 75% of the votes, a huge margin over the rest of the field. Messi’s 2012 season sits second with 9%, while Ronaldo’s 2017 award is third with 6%. The vote is a fan initiative to celebrate the passion of supporters, not an official trophy, and the percentages could still change while the poll remains open.

Ronaldo’s 2008 campaign is the one fans have chosen as the standout. He was named the world’s best player after winning the Premier League and the Champions League with Manchester United, claiming the European Golden Shoe and scoring 42 goals in all competitions.

With the 2008 recognition, Cristiano became the third Portuguese player to win the award, after Eusebio in 1965 and Luis Figo in 2000. Despite his huge lead over Messi, fans can keep voting until Oct. 27, and the final results will be published on Oct. 28 on the official Ballon d’Or website.

How the Ballon d’Or of All Time vote works

Fans are not choosing the best player in history, but the best season that earned a Ballon d’Or, and each vote costs one euro. That means a player’s career is divided into separate options, which hurts those with more awards. Messi appears eight times, for his awards in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023, so the votes for his career are split among several seasons.

Only players who won the award at least twice are on the ballot: Ronaldo, Messi, Ronaldo Nazario, Marco van Basten, Michel Platini, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Kevin Keegan, Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff and Alfredo Di Stefano.

The result adds another chapter to the long-running debate between Ronaldo and Messi, two players who shaped an era and combined for 13 Ballon d’Or awards. Whether the gap holds or narrows, the poll shows that for many fans, Ronaldo’s 2008 season is the one that stands above the rest.