<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/cristiano-ronaldo/">Cristiano Ronaldo</a> and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/lionel-messi/">Lionel Messi</a> are once again at the center of soccer’s greatest debate as France Football introduces a special award celebrating the most iconic Ballon d’Or-winning performances in history. The new initiative brings together legends from different generations, allowing supporters to revisit some of the sport’s most memorable individual achievements and decide which deserves the ultimate recognition.



The announcement comes as the prestigious award celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2026. However, the format introduces an unusual twist that could make the competition far more unpredictable than a conventional vote for the greatest player of all time.



France Soccer, the magazine behind the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/ballon-dor/">Ballon d’Or</a> since 1956, has unveiled the Ballon d’Or Of All Time (B.O.A.T.), a public vote designed to identify the greatest individual Ballon d’Or-winning year in soccer history. Rather than simply selecting a player, voters must decide which specific winning campaign deserves to stand above the rest.



The distinction matters because a player with multiple Ballon d’Or trophies has several eligible seasons competing for votes. Messi, for example, has eight winning years represented, while Ronaldo has five, potentially dividing support between their individual achievements.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/05/05130005/ronaldo-messi-2-1920x1080.webp" alt="ronaldo messi" class="wp-image-641120"><figcaption>FIFA Ballon d’Or nominees Lionel Messi of Argentina and FC Barcelona (L) and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Real Madrid (R)</figcaption></figure>



<h2>Full list of the 10 nominees</h2>



The shortlist features 10 legendary players who have won the Ballon d’Or at least twice during their careers.



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><th>Player</th><th>Country</th><th>Wins</th><th>Winning Years</th></tr><tr><td>Lionel Messi</td><td>Argentina</td><td>8</td><td>2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023</td></tr><tr><td>Cristiano Ronaldo</td><td>Portugal</td><td>5</td><td>2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017</td></tr><tr><td>Michel Platini</td><td>France</td><td>3</td><td>1983, 1984, 1985</td></tr><tr><td>Johan Cruyff</td><td>Netherlands</td><td>3</td><td>1971, 1973, 1974</td></tr><tr><td>Marco van Basten</td><td>Netherlands</td><td>3</td><td>1988, 1989, 1992</td></tr><tr><td>Alfredo Di Stefano</td><td>Spain</td><td>2</td><td>1957, 1959</td></tr><tr><td>Franz Beckenbauer</td><td>West Germany</td><td>2</td><td>1972, 1976</td></tr><tr><td>Kevin Keegan</td><td>England</td><td>2</td><td>1978, 1979</td></tr><tr><td>Karl-Heinz Rummenigge</td><td>West Germany</td><td>2</td><td>1980, 1981</td></tr><tr><td>Ronaldo Nazario</td><td>Brazil</td><td>2</td><td>1997, 2002</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



Messi leads the historical standings with eight Ballon d’Or victories, followed by Ronaldo with five. Platini, Cruyff and Van Basten each collected three trophies, while the remaining five nominees won twice.



<h2>Eligibility rules: Why some legends are missing</h2>



The organizers restricted eligibility to players who have won the Ballon d’Or at least twice, immediately excluding famous one-time winners such as Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho and Eusebio. Pele and Diego Maradona are also absent, but for a different historical reason.



During their playing careers, the Ballon d’Or was restricted to European players, meaning the two South American icons were not eligible under the award’s original rules. The shortlist therefore reflects the history and eligibility criteria of the traditional prize rather than a comprehensive ranking of every player who has ever played the game.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/09/18144507/ballon-dor-1-1920x1080.webp" alt="ballon d&apos;or" class="wp-image-675879"><figcaption>A general view of the Ballon D’Or trophy</figcaption></figure>



<h2>Voting deadline, cost and prize explained</h2>



Fans can vote through the official Ballon d’Or website until October 27, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Paris time. Each vote costs €1, and supporters can submit multiple votes rather than being restricted to a single choice.



According to the published details, participants receive access to an iconic Ballon d’Or photograph and an opportunity to win two tickets to the 2027 Ballon d’Or ceremony. The B.O.A.T. results are scheduled to be announced on October 28, two days after the main 2026 ceremony at London’s Palladium on October 26.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi headline new Ballon d’Or Of All Time award: Full nominee list, eligibility rules, voting deadline, and prize explained

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi headline new Ballon d’Or Of All Time award: Full nominee list, eligibility rules, voting deadline, and prize explained - World Soccer Talk

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<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/michael-olise/">Michael Olise</a> has established himself as one of the most exciting talents in world soccer, reaching a level of world-class consistency during his time at Bayern Munich. While his breakthrough has inevitably attracted interest from other clubs, club legend and Supervisory Board member <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/karl-heinz-rummenigge/">Karl-Heinz Rummenigge</a> has made clear that Bayern would not part with the winger even for a record fee of €200 million.



Rummenigge served as <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/bayern-munich/">Bayern</a>‘s CEO from 2002 to 2021 and remains a key figure within the club’s structure under the leadership now overseen by Oliver Kahn. Under the current project with Vincent Kompany as head coach, Olise has emerged as an indispensable piece, currently standing as the most valuable player in the entire Bundesliga with a market value of €140 million according to Transfermarkt.



In a conversation with the portal t-online, Rummenigge was asked directly whether a €200 million offer would be enough to pry Olise away from Munich, and his answer left no room for ambiguity. “For a player like Olise, there is no price tag that would make us flinch,” he said.



To illustrate the principle at stake, Rummenigge reached back to one of Bayern’s most famous moments of resolve in the transfer market, drawing a parallel with another French winger. “In 2009, we had an incredible offer from Chelsea for Franck Ribéry. At the time, that would have been a new world transfer record. I went to our CFO at the time, Karl Hopfner, and Uli Hoeneß. We discussed what to do with this offer for two hours,” he recalled.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/04/28224735/michael-olise-bayern-munich-psg-1920x1080.webp" alt="Michael Olise of FC Bayern Munich scores his team&apos;s second goal past Matvey Safonov of Paris Saint-Germain." class="wp-image-639499"><figcaption>Michael Olise of FC Bayern Munich scores his team’s second goal past Matvey Safonov of Paris Saint-Germain.</figcaption></figure>



From that deliberation, Rummenigge said, came a guiding principle that has shaped the club’s transfer policy ever since. “On that day, we decided something fundamental: that in the future, we would no longer sell any player whose sporting presence we would miss. And this unwritten law still applies today,” he added.


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According to Sport Bild, Olise has been linked with Real Madrid and Liverpool, the latter potentially looking for a successor to Mohamed Salah following his departure at the end of the 2025-26 season. With 20 goals and 29 assists across 47 appearances for Bayern, persuading either the club or the player to part ways would be an extraordinarily difficult task.



<h2>Bayern’s major business with Olise</h2>



It was Bayern Munich who ultimately won the race for Olise’s signature in the summer of 2024, fending off interest from clubs including Manchester United to bring the winger to Germany. The Bavarian side paid Crystal Palace €53 million for a player contracted through June 2029, and in less than two years, that investment has ballooned in value.



According to Transfermarkt, Olise’s current market value stands at €140 million, nearly three times the €55 million fee at which he departed Palace. Furthermore, should any club meet the €200 million threshold Rummenigge dismissed, Olise would become the second most expensive transfer in soccer history, overtaking Kylian Mbappe at €180 million and Ousmane Dembele at €148 million, with only Neymar’s record fee of €222 million remaining beyond reach.

Bayern Munich wouldn’t accept record €200M fee for Michael Olise, says legend Rummenigge

Bayern Munich wouldn’t accept record €200M fee for Michael Olise, says legend Rummenigge - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="external-image"><img src="http://www.spox.com/de/sport/fussball/bundesliga/0811/Bilder/rummenigge-kh-514.jpg" alt="Douche Bag"></figure></div>
Some of my fellow Lillywhites at Tottenham have some very rude comments about Arsene Wenger. There is one song that ends in “Wenger is a [explicative] pedophile”.
I hate it. It lacks class or common decency. But football supporters aren’t always the classiest people when it comes to rivalry, as we all know. I’ve said things about Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees that are shameful. 
But fans are just fans and don’t get press coverage. For the chairman of Bayern Munich to call Arsene Wenger a child-trafficker (which isn’t that far off from a pedo) is downright libelous. The entirety of the Bavarian club should be disgusted and ashamed by such a evil comment by the man who runs their club. Rumminege, himself trafficked at the tender age of 19 from Borussia Lippstadt, should be forced to step down in shame immediately, although that might actually benefit Bayern in the long term. 
And to make matters worse, he’s a hypocrite. He signed both Toni Kroos and Breno at age 17, moving one from the Baltic to Bavaria and uprooting the other from Brazil. To him a 16 year old is a child but within the span of a year they have turned into men. He is ignorant on a level that baffles me. 
In the long run there is a discrepancy between English law and continental law, which allows professional contracts to be tendered at age 16 in the UK. This allows EPL clubs a an extra year to sign promising youngsters. So yes, Wenger was able to sign Cesc Fabregas at 16. I don’t know which age should be the minimum age, but it’s an issue for Platini and UEFA. It is not a reason for the head of a German club to attack a manager, who has broken no laws, publicly. But to compare him to people who sell children for the sex trade is beyond anything I can remember in football. If Rummenigge is allowed to continue with the club then I will have nothing but contempt for them henceforth.
And this is coming from a person who despises Arsene Wenger.

Rummenigge Should Step Down After Comments About Arsenal's Wenger

Rummenigge Should Step Down After Comments About Arsenal's Wenger - World Soccer Talk

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