Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2008 Ballon d’Or season is the overwhelming frontrunner in a live fan vote seeking football’s finest Ballon d’Or-winning campaign, with the Portuguese star taking 75 per cent of ballots cast so far.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid attacker holds a substantial advantage over Lionel Messi’s 2012 season, which has received nine per cent of the vote. Ronaldo’s later Ballon d’Or-winning year in 2017 is third on six per cent.
Supporters are being asked to weigh up landmark individual displays and trophy-winning achievements from across football’s history, bringing together elite names from several generations.
Messi’s remarkable scoring exploits in 2012 feature among the choices, alongside the achievements of historic figures including Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Alfredo Di Stéfano, players whose careers left a lasting mark on the sport.
The current percentages represent the preferences of fans participating in the poll and are not intended as a final verdict on the greatest individual campaign ever produced.
The leading candidates, their accomplishments and the available voting figures are outlined below.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo — 2008 (75%): Ronaldo’s first Ballon d’Or-winning year remains comfortably first in the poll. At Manchester United, the Portuguese forward lifted both the Premier League title and the UEFA Champions League, while also winning the European Golden Shoe. He finished the campaign with 42 goals in all competitions, in what became one of the standout seasons of his career.
2. Lionel Messi — 2012 (9%): Messi is second after collecting nine per cent of votes for his 2012 Ballon d’Or campaign. The Argentine scored an unprecedented 91 goals for club and country across that calendar year, a scoring total that continues to rank among the game’s most extraordinary individual records.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo — 2017 (6%): Ronaldo’s 2017 Ballon d’Or season sits third with six per cent. Representing Real Madrid, he played a key role as the club won La Liga and the Champions League during 2016-17. His decisive displays on the European stage further underlined his credentials for another individual award.
4. Ronaldo Nazário: Brazil’s Ronaldo, widely called R9, earned acclaim for his blistering speed, close control and ruthless finishing. He won the Ballon d’Or twice, in 1997 and 2002, and established himself as one of his generation’s most celebrated strikers. His legacy was enhanced by Brazil’s 2002 FIFA World Cup victory.
5. Marco van Basten: Van Basten collected the Ballon d’Or on three occasions: 1988, 1989 and 1992. The Netherlands striker was noted for his technique, intelligent runs and spectacular goals. His Euro 1988 displays for the Dutch, particularly his famous final volley, remain iconic moments in international football.
6. Michel Platini: Platini claimed three successive Ballon d’Or honours between 1983 and 1985. The France midfielder combined vision, passing range, creativity and a major goal threat. He was central to France’s 1984 European Championship triumph and ended that tournament as its top scorer.
7. Johan Cruyff: Cruyff won the award in 1971, 1973 and 1974. The Dutch forward was a defining representative of Total Football, pairing elite technique with tactical awareness and intelligent movement. His impact also continued after retirement, most notably through the footballing identity he helped shape at Barcelona.
8. Kevin Keegan: Keegan took the Ballon d’Or in consecutive years, 1978 and 1979. The English forward achieved major success with Liverpool before joining Hamburg, where he further raised his standing in the European game. His work rate, forward movement and leadership made him one of Britain’s leading players of that period.
9. Franz Beckenbauer: Beckenbauer won the Ballon d’Or in 1972 and again in 1976. Known as Der Kaiser, the German great transformed the attacking sweeper role with his calmness, reading of the game and capacity to launch attacks from deep. He captained West Germany to the 1974 World Cup and also enjoyed sustained success with Bayern Munich.
10. Alfredo Di Stéfano: Di Stéfano received the Ballon d’Or in 1957 and 1959, becoming a central figure in Real Madrid’s first era of European supremacy. Able to influence games from numerous attacking roles, he supplied goals and leadership as Madrid won five European Cups in a row from 1956 through 1960.
