The ultimate Ballon d’Or poll between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has one clear favorite.
Cristiano Ronaldo is leading a new poll to name the ultimate Ballon d’Or winner, while Lionel Messi is trailing behind. The 2026 Ballon d’Or winner will be announced next Monday in London, with stars like Harry Kane, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe, and Rodri all in the running.
Top football journalists will share their opinions on who should be the best player in the world. But fans also get a chance to vote for a different Ballon d’Or award. Earlier this month, the official Ballon d’Or website launched a new prize called the B.O.A.T (Ballon d’Or Of All Time).
To make the shortlist, players had to win the Ballon d’Or at least twice, which means many one-time winners didn’t make it. Some big names on the list include Messi, Ronaldo, Ronaldo Nazario, Marco van Basten, Michel Platini, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Johan Cruyff, Kevin Keegan, Alfredo Di Stefano, and Franz Beckenbauer.
Unlike usual awards that look at a player’s whole career, this vote focuses on a single season. Fans can vote for Messi’s eight winning seasons or Ronaldo’s five. Ronaldo’s 2008 season at Manchester United is currently winning big with 62% of the votes.
Messi’s 2012 season, when he scored a record 91 goals, is second with 7%, while his 2023 season has 10%. Ronaldo’s 2017 win has 7%, and his 2016 season got 2%. You can vote multiple times, but each vote costs €1. Every entry gives voters a chance to win two tickets to next year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony.
Voting ends on October 27, and the winner will be announced the next day. Ronaldo seems certain to win for his amazing 2008 season, the first of his five Ballon d’Or titles. That year, he helped Manchester United win both the Premier League and the Champions League.
He scored 42 goals in 49 games, including 31 in the Premier League, earning his first Golden Boot. He also won the European Golden Shoe, Ballon d’Or, and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. Ronaldo earned 446 points to win the Ballon d’Or, beating Messi by 165 points. Fernando Torres finished third with 179 points.
After that, Ronaldo scored 26 goals the next season and moved to Real Madrid for a world-record £80 million following United’s loss to Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League final.
Here’s a quick look at some multiple Ballon d’Or winners:
– Lionel Messi (2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2019)
– Cristiano Ronaldo (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)
– Ronaldo Nazario (1997, 2002)
– Marco van Basten (1988, 1989)
– Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985)
– Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1980, 1981)
– Kevin Keegan (1978, 1979)
– Franz Beckenbauer (1972, 1976)
– Johan Cruyff (1971, 1973, 1974)
– Alfredo Di Stefano (1957, 1959)