New Delhi, Oct 29 (IANS) Portuguese football great Cristiano Ronaldo thanked fans around the world after his maiden Ballon d’Or triumph in 2008 was voted the greatest victory in the award’s history in the B.O.A.T. (Best of All Time) poll.
“Football belongs to the fans! Thank you to all the fans around the world; the Ballon D’Or of All Time is also yours,” Ronaldo wrote on social media on Thursday.
The poll, conducted by the Ballon d’Or organisers, invited football fans to vote for the greatest Ballon d’Or-winning campaign of all time. Ronaldo’s 2008 triumph emerged as the winner, while Argentine superstar Lionel Messi’s 2012 victory finished second.
Ronaldo’s maiden Ballon d’Or came after an outstanding 2007-08 season with Manchester United, in which he scored 42 goals in 49 appearances across all competitions. The Portuguese forward helped the English club win both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
In the Premier League, Ronaldo scored 31 goals to finish as the competition’s leading scorer and help Manchester United secure their 17th league title. He also scored eight goals in the Champions League, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer and helping United lift the trophy after defeating Chelsea in the final.
The final ended 1-1 after extra time, with Ronaldo scoring United’s goal before Sir Alex Ferguson’s side prevailed in the penalty shootout.
Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or in 2008 after finishing second behind Brazilian midfielder Kaká the previous year. He became the third Portuguese player to receive the honour, following Eusebio in 1965 and Luis Figo in 2000.
The award marked a defining moment in Ronaldo’s rise from an 18-year-old arrival at Manchester United in 2003 to one of the most decorated players in football history.
The 2008 triumph also preceded an era of individual dominance shared by Ronaldo and Messi. Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or five times in his career, while Messi holds the record with eight victories.
