Cristiano Ronaldo has won the first BOAT award - the Ballon d’Or of All Time - after fans selected his 2008 Ballon d’Or-winning campaign as the greatest season.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was competing with some of football’s most celebrated players, including his long-standing rival Lionel Messi. When the voting closed, Ronaldo and Messi were the only two players to finish in the top 10.

Ronaldo’s 2008 season with Manchester United was ranked above Messi’s 2012 campaign for Barcelona. The list also featured Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Marco van Basten, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Kevin Keegan and Franz Beckenbauer.

Real Madrid icon Alfredo Di Stefano and Brazilian great Ronaldo Nazario were among the other players included in the notable group.

Ronaldo scored 42 goals in all competitions for Manchester United during the 2008 season. His 31 goals in the Premier League earned him the Golden Boot, while his performances also helped him win the Ballon d’Or at the age of 23.

Fans paid €1 per vote to put Ronaldo at the top of the poll, although the BOAT award does not exist as a physical trophy.

The accolade recognises a season rather than a player’s entire career, with Ronaldo’s 2008 campaign chosen ahead of Messi’s 2012 season. It adds another point of comparison between the two players, whose careers have been repeatedly measured against each other.

Following his breakthrough season at Manchester United, Ronaldo spent nine years with Real Madrid. During that period, he won the Champions League four times and further established himself as one of the greatest players in football history.

Ronaldo’s continued goalscoring has also kept him at the centre of the debate with Messi. He reached 982 career goals last week when Al-Nassr defeated Al-Faisaly 3–1 in the Saudi Pro League.

The 41-year-old scored Al-Nassr’s second goal in the 49th minute, heading in a free-kick delivered by Joao Felix.