Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2008 Season Leads Official Ballon d’Or Fan Vote

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2008 Ballon d’Or-winning season is leading an official fan vote organised by the Ballon d’Or platform, with the Portuguese forward reportedly receiving 62% of the votes as of October 19, 2026. The competition, titled Ballon d’Or Of All Time (B.O.A.T.), asks fans to select the greatest individual winning season in the award’s history rather than simply naming their favourite footballer.

Ronaldo won his first Ballon d’Or in 2008 while playing for Manchester United, following a campaign in which his performances helped establish him among the leading players in world football. The poll remains open, so the current standings may change before voting closes.

The official competition features past Ballon d’Or winners who have claimed the award at least twice, including Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Ronaldo Nazário, Marco van Basten, Michel Platini, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Kevin Keegan, Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff and Alfredo Di Stéfano. Each player’s individual winning years are presented as separate options, allowing voters to select a particular season rather than cast a single vote for a player’s overall career.

This means the competition focuses on the achievements associated with a specific award-winning campaign, although the result will reflect the preferences of participating fans rather than a formal assessment by football experts. Ronaldo’s reported lead therefore represents the poll’s current voting position, not an independently established ranking of the greatest seasons in football history.

Participation requires a €1 payment, which provides access to the vote and a downloadable commemorative Ballon d’Or photograph. The official rules permit multiple entries, but each vote requires a separate €1 contribution, meaning participants can vote repeatedly for the same season or choose different winners.

Voting closes on October 27, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Paris time, with the official results scheduled for publication on October 28. Until then, Ronaldo’s 2008 campaign remains the reported frontrunner in a contest that has given fans another way to revisit some of football’s most celebrated individual seasons.