'Football Belongs to Fans': Cristiano Ronaldo Thanks Supporters After Winning Inaugural BOAT Award

New Delhi: Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo thanked football fans around the world after being crowned the inaugural winner of the Ballon d’Or of All Time (BOAT) award, saying the recognition also belonged to them.

“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 Instagram.

Ronaldo received the inaugural BOAT award following massive voting from fans worldwide, with his 2008 campaign with Manchester United recognised as the best-ever individual year in the history of football’s most prestigious individual prize.

France Football introduced a unique award, adding more fire to the debates of footballing greatness. After Harry Kane, the England and Bayern Munich superstar, secured the Ballon d'Or, the BOAT award was awarded to Cristiano. The award was introduced to settle which Ballon d'Or season stands above the rest.

Cristiano edged past Lionel Messi, his long-time rival, to secure the award. The voters seemed to prefer CR7's first-ever Ballon d'Or title win over Messi's 91-goal season in 2012, a record which still stands to this day, according to Goal.com.

While the traditional Ballon d'Or relies on a panel of renowned international journalists to decide the winner, the BOAT award handed the power to fans, allowing them to vote digitally.

The nomination list featured players who had won the Ballon d'Or multiple times, including Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Marco van Basten, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Kevin Keegan and Franz Beckenbauer, alongside Real Madrid icon Alfredo Di Stefano and Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario.

The fans had to pay a fee of one euro in order to vote, and to encourage fan participation, the organisers entered all the participating voters into a prize draw for two tickets to the 2027 Ballon d'Or ceremony.

The decision was a hit with the fans, as thousands of them opted to pay, with over 5,000 individuals voting multiple times to make sure their favourite player/campaign emerged victorious. Ronaldo and Messi dominated the list, occupying the top 12 spots among themselves. At 13th, Brazil's Ronaldo Nazario's 2002 Ballon d'Or win broke the streak. 

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