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Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal has expressed his gratitude after being voted the winner of the "Ballon d'Or of All Time" by football fans. The photo shows Ronaldo (right), who plays for Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, celebrating with a teammate after completing a hat-trick against Al-Kholood in a Saudi Pro League match in Riyadh on Oct. 30 (Korea time). / Reuters-Yonhap

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal has expressed his gratitude after football fans chose him over his longtime rival Lionel Messi of Argentina in the "Ballon d'Or of All Time" (BOAT) vote.

Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, shared his reaction on social media on Oct. 30 (Korea time), saying, "Football belongs to the fans."

"Thank you to all the fans around the world. The honor of being named the Ballon d'Or of All Time belongs to you as well," he added.

To mark the 70th anniversary of the Ballon d'Or, France Football, the French football magazine that organizes the award, partnered with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to conduct a month-long paid poll in October, asking football fans around the world to select the greatest Ballon d'Or-winning performance of all time. The results were announced two days ago.

According to the results, Ronaldo's performance in 2008, when he won his first Ballon d'Or, ranked first, followed by Messi's 2012 performance in second place.

Ronaldo and Messi occupied every position in the top 15 except 13th and 15th, which went to Brazil's Ronaldo Nazário for his performances in 2002 and 1997, respectively.

Cristiano Ronaldo ranked first, third, fifth, sixth and eighth, while Messi took second, fourth, seventh, ninth, 10th, 11th, 12th and 14th places.

The year 2008, which earned Ronaldo the top spot, was one of the finest of his career. During the 2007–08 English Premier League (EPL) season, he scored 31 goals for Manchester United, helping the club win the league title.

He also recorded eight goals and two assists as Manchester United won the UEFA Champions League (UCL), finishing the season with 42 goals across all competitions.

Meanwhile, England's Harry Kane won this year's Ballon d'Or. Messi finished fifth in the voting, while Ronaldo failed to make the shortlist for the fifth consecutive year since 2022.

                                                                                                           Cho Seong-jun