Former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo has won a prestigious award.
United career
When the slender Portuguese teenager with floppy hair arrived at Old Trafford in 2003 to replace David Beckham, nobody could have predicted the career he would go on to have.
Ronaldo would go on to win the league three times, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Champions League with Manchester United in his first six years at the club.
He would also win the Ballon d’Or in 2008, becoming just the fourth United player to achieve this after Denis Law, Bobby Charlton and George Best.
Ronaldo would leave United in 2009 and enjoy immense success at Real Madrid, winning multiple Champions Leagues and Ballon d’Ors.
He later joined Juventus and returned to Old Trafford in the summer of 2021, but left in November 2022 after an explosive interview with Piers Morgan criticising the club.
Ronaldo has since played for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia and is closing in on 1,000 career goals.
Award
Fabrizio Romano has posted on his social media that the “Ballon d’Or announce Cristiano Ronaldo 2008 has been voted as the best Ballon d’Or of all time.”
🚨✨ OFFICIAL: Ballon d’Or announce Cristiano Ronaldo 2008 has been voted as the BEST BALLON D’OR OF ALL TIME. 🌕 https://t.co/gr3nYytkiu
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 28, 2026
The Portugal international came in first ahead of Lionel Messi’s 2012 triumph, his own wins in 2017 and 2016, as well as Messi’s victory in 2023.
The 2008 triumph was Ronaldo’s first win and saw him win the Premier League, the Champions League, the Club World Cup and the Community Shield.
He had an incredible 31 goals and seven assists in 34 Premier League matches as he led United to triumph.
| Player | Season | Competition | Apps | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 2007/08 | Premier League | 34 | 31 | 7 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 2007/08 | Champions League | 11 | 8 | – |
The Portugal international also scored United’s only goal in the Champions League final against Chelsea, which finished in a 1-1 draw, but the Reds would go on to win on penalties in Moscow.
