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Cristiano Ronaldo beats Lionel Messi for Ballon d'Or of All Time honor

Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo narrowly defeated Argentine rival Lionel Messi in a public vote announced by France Football for the Ballon d'Or of All Time.

FTMQ News, written by our newsroom29 October 2026 at 14:000 views

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Picture: UPI

Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo has narrowly beaten his longtime rival Lionel Messi for the Ballon d'Or of All Time honor, UPI reported citing an announcement from France Football. A fan vote determined that Ronaldo's award-winning campaign in 2008 was the best ever, while Messi's 2012 campaign finished in second place. France Football limited eligibility for the honor to players who had won the Ballon d'Or multiple times. [1]

According to UPI, Ronaldo or Messi claimed 13 of the top 14 positions in the public voting. Following the announcement, Ronaldo wrote on social media that football belongs to the fans and expressed his gratitude to supporters around the world for the honor. [1]

Ronaldo captains both the Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr and the Portugal national team, and he has won five Ballons d'Or over his career. Messi captains Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and has won a record eight Ballons d'Or. [10][11]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, Messi played his final international match for Argentina earlier in October, while Ronaldo stated plans to continue playing. Messi is the most decorated player in professional football history with 47 team trophies. [15]

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In short

Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or of All Time honor for his 2008 campaign.
Lionel Messi finished second in the voting for his 2012 Ballon d'Or win.
Ronaldo or Messi claimed 13 of the top 14 placements in the public vote.
Only players who have won the Ballon d'Or multiple times were eligible for the award.

Sources

Every paragraph above points to the numbered items it rests on. Read the originals here.

[1]Cristiano Ronaldo edges Lionel Messi for Ballon d'Or of All Time honorUPI, 55m ago (the report this story comes from)
[2]2008 Cristiano Ronaldo wins the B.O.A.T. for the best Ballon d'Or in historyMARCA, 20h ago
[3]Washington Post Ends Election Season With Dumbest Investigation Of All TimeThe Daily Wire, 19h ago
[4]Washington Post Ends Election Season With Dumbest Investigation Of All TimeThe Daily Wire, 20h ago
[5]Ronaldo pips Messi to win 'Ballon d'Or of All Time' prizeESPN, 4h ago
[6]Cristiano Ronaldo voted greatest Ballon d’Or ever in €1-a-vote pollPortugal Resident, 5h ago
[7]Cristiano Ronaldo the greatest of all time? CR7 beats Lionel Messi in Ballon d’Or votingGoal.com, 8h ago
[8]Ronaldo beat Messi, but there’s a €1 catch: The twist behind football’s latest GOAT verdictfootball360.com.au, 13h ago
[9]Beyond the Ballon d’Or of all Time: Why reaching 1 000 goals is Cristiano Ronaldo’s true holy grailthenational.co.za, 4h ago

Background

[10]Cristiano Ronaldo on Wikipedia
[11]Lionel Messi on Wikipedia
[12]The Greatest of All Time on Wikipedia
[13]Cristiano Ronaldo on Grokipedia
[14]Lionel Messi on Grokipedia
[15]Lionel Messi exits international football as Cristiano Ronaldo vows to play on FTMQ News, 22d ago
[16]Lionel Messi arrives in Oviedo for Princess of Asturias Award FTMQ News, 6d ago

Our newsroom writes these reports with the help of software, from the 16 sources listed and nothing else, and checks them against those sources. Facts can still be wrong or move on; the originals are the record. Spotted a mistake? Write to daniel@monsterkong.com.

Earlier reports of ours on the same people and subjects.

Lionel Messi exits international football as Cristiano Ronaldo vows to play onTop Stories, 22d ago
Cristiano Ronaldo suspended and fined over Portugal national team walkoutTop Stories, 9d ago
Lionel Messi arrives in Oviedo for Princess of Asturias AwardTop Stories, 6d ago
Lionel Messi retires from Argentina international football after friendly winTop Stories, 22d ago
Cristiano Ronaldo accuses Portugal coach Jorge Jesus of breaking promisesTop Stories, 22d ago

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