Fans Pick the Best Ballon d'Or Season in History
In a fan vote held during the 70th anniversary of the Ballon d'Or, Cristiano Ronaldo's performance for Manchester United in the 2007/08 season was chosen as the best Ballon d'Or season in history. The vote was organized as a fan initiative that does not change official award records.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the "Ballon d'Or of All Time" vote, held in the 70th year of football's most prestigious individual award, the Ballon d'Or. Fans chose between the performances of 10 players who had each won the Ballon d'Or more than once, from different eras, and selected Ronaldo's performance for Manchester United in the 2007/08 season as the best Ballon d'Or-winning season in history.
Still only 23 years old that season, the Portuguese star scored 42 goals in all competitions. As the Premier League's top scorer with 31 goals, Ronaldo also won the European Golden Shoe. He was the tournament's most prolific player in the Champions League with eight goals.
Manchester United lifted the trophy after beating Chelsea on penalties in the Champions League final played in Moscow. Ronaldo also celebrated a goal during the regular time of the final. This performance brought him his first Ballon d'Or in December 2008.
One of the leading candidates in the vote was Lionel Messi's 2012 performance. The Argentine star drew great attention that calendar year by scoring 91 goals in total for club and country. Messi won the Ballon d'Or eight times, while Ronaldo won it five times.
The organizers stated that the vote did not change official award records. The fan vote, a public poll in nature, was held to celebrate the bond between the award's history and its supporters. In this respect, it stands out as a different event from the Super Ballon d'Or award given to Alfredo Di Stefano in 1989.
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