UEFA Champions League:<\/b> Portuguese football great Cristiano Ronaldo thanked fans around the world after his maiden Ballon d\u2019Or triumph in 2008 was voted the greatest victory in the award\u2019s history in the B.O.A.T. (Best of All Time) poll.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cFootball belongs to the fans! Thank you to all the fans around the world; the Ballon D\u2019Or of All Time is also yours,\u201d Ronaldo wrote on social media on Thursday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The poll, conducted by the Ballon d\u2019Or organisers, invited football fans to vote for the greatest Ballon d\u2019Or-winning campaign of all time. Ronaldo\u2019s 2008 triumph emerged as the winner, while Argentine superstar Lionel Messi\u2019s 2012 victory finished second.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ronaldo\u2019s maiden Ballon d\u2019Or came after an outstanding 2007-08 season with Manchester United, in which he scored 42 goals in 49 appearances across all competitions. The Portuguese forward helped the English club win both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In the Premier League, Ronaldo scored 31 goals to finish as the competition\u2019s leading scorer and help Manchester United secure their 17th league title. He also scored eight goals in the Champions League, finishing as the tournament\u2019s top scorer and helping United lift the trophy after defeating Chelsea in the final.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The final ended 1-1 after extra time, with Ronaldo scoring United\u2019s goal before Sir Alex Ferguson\u2019s side prevailed in the penalty shootout.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ronaldo won the Ballon d\u2019Or in 2008 after finishing second behind Brazilian midfielder Kak\u00e1 the previous year. He became the third Portuguese player to receive the honour, following Eusebio in 1965 and Luis Figo in 2000.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The award marked a defining moment in Ronaldo\u2019s rise from an 18-year-old arrival at Manchester United in 2003 to one of the most decorated players in football history.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ronaldo won the Ballon d\u2019Or in 2008 after finishing second behind Brazilian midfielder Kak\u00e1 the previous year. He became the third Portuguese player to receive the honour, following Eusebio in 1965 and Luis Figo in 2000.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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