Cristiano Ronaldo Beats Lionel Messi in Controversial All-Time Ballon d’Or BOAT Vote - Which Fans Had to Pay For
Fans paid €1 per ballot in the France Football poll, and 5,009 people voted more than once, organizers said.
- Cristiano Ronaldo's 2008 Ballon d'Or win was crowned the Greatest Ballon d'Or of All Time in a fan vote, finishing ahead of Lionel Messi's 2012 award.
- France Football invented the BOAT award to identify the greatest Ballon d'Or winner among players who earned the honor at least two times, with fans serving as the jury instead of journalists.
- Supporters paid about $1.10 per vote to participate, with organizers raffling two tickets for the 2027 gala. Voting irregularities emerged, as 4,665 people voted between two and four times.
- Messi, who has won the Ballon d'Or a record eight times, finished second for his 2012 performance, while Ronaldo claimed two of the top three spots with his 2017 award ranking third.
- The BOAT award remains a unique experiment in fan engagement by France Football, as results reflect paid participation rather than definitive expert consensus on the greatest Ballon d'Or winner.
76 Articles
76 Articles
The Portuguese footballer won the so-called BOAT, which for the only time delivered the magazine France Football.The fans had to choose from all those who once won the prize.
The Portuguese striker won the new B.O.A.T. award from France Football after winning Lionel Messi in an open vote for amateurs.
The Portuguese attacker Cristiano Ronaldo was elected the best Gold Ball of all time in popular vote for the 2008 season by Manchester United of England. The award, created by France Football, was announced on Wednesday on the official website of the award. He surpassed Lionel Messi's campaign in 2012 by Barcelona of Spain. The Christian winner of the Gold Ball of 2017, 2016, 2014 and 2013 was the third, fifth, sixth and eighth places respective…
Cristiano Ronaldo beats Messi to claim award for best in Ballon d'Or history
Cristiano Ronaldo has beaten Lionel Messi and football’s greats to win the inaugural B.O.A.T. award, launched by UEFA and France Football to recognise the greatest season by a Ballon d’Or winner.
In recent weeks, sports fans have had a state of interaction about the identity of the 2026 Golden Ball Champion, and the vote for the best gold ball in history.
To vote for the unofficial award, you had to pay 1 euro and some profiles have voted en masse and repeatedly.
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