Public Vote Honors Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or Edition

Data from the voting initiative to select the "best Ballon d'Or in history" revealed that 5,009 participants cast multiple votes, each costing one euro. Cristiano Ronaldo's 2008 edition secured the highest vote share, surpassing Lionel Messi's 2012 edition. The data showed no maximum limit on the number of votes per user, allowing repeated voting upon payment each time. According to the figures, 44 individuals voted between 10 and 26 times each, 300 people voted between five and nine times, and 4,665 participants voted from two to four times. Although these numbers raise questions about the voting mechanism, multiple participations did not violate the initiative's rules, which permitted repeated voting at one euro per vote. Ronaldo's 2008 edition received 75% of the votes, far ahead of Messi's 2012 edition with 9%, while Ronaldo's 2017 edition ranked third with 6%. The year 2008 marked Ronaldo's first Ballon d'Or win after an exceptional season with Manchester United, helping secure two major titles: the English Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. The Portuguese star scored 42 goals across all competitions that season, including 31 in the Premier League, finishing as the league's top scorer. This initiative, known as "B.O.A.T," is a public vote to select the best Ballon d'Or edition in history by comparing editions won by players who have received the award at least twice. The vote does not aim to grant a new award or official title but simply identifies the edition most favored by the public, with each vote costing one euro. It is worth noting that Messi remains the player with the most Ballon d'Or wins in history, having received it eight times, compared to five times for Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo.