Ronaldo dedicates historic France Football award to fans

Cristiano Ronaldo has thanked supporters around the world after being named the greatest player in history by France Football, narrowly beating Lionel Messi in a month-long public online vote.

The Al Nassr captain addressed the award on X, writing: “Football belongs to the fans… thank you to all the fans around the world.”

He added: “The Ballon d’Or for the greatest player in history is also your award.”

The Portuguese Football Federation congratulated Ronaldo shortly after the result was announced.

“From 2008 to forever. The greatest player to win the Ballon d’Or in history is Portuguese. Congratulations, captain,” it said on X.

The latest honour recognises Ronaldo’s 2007-08 campaign with Manchester United. He helped the club win the Premier League and UEFA Champions League after scoring 42 goals in all competitions, performances that earned him the first Ballon d’Or of his career.

Manchester United and Real Madrid, two of Ronaldo’s former clubs, also celebrated the recognition.

The veteran Portugal forward has now won five Ballon d’Or awards. Four of those came during his time at Real Madrid, in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.

Ronaldo’s response followed a brief message that had already attracted widespread attention online.

According to Marca, fans turned to the player’s social media accounts after the electronic vote confirmed his victory. Rather than directly referring to the contest or publishing a lengthy statement, Ronaldo initially posted a series of Instagram photographs showing his daily work and training routine.

The images were accompanied by a single word: “Preparing.”

That short post generated thousands of reactions and comments from supporters, who interpreted it as a reflection of Ronaldo’s competitive mindset and his continued focus on training and hard work, regardless of the awards and honours added to his career.

A photograph showing him training with maximum intensity and enthusiasm spread widely within minutes. He later followed it with his message on X, in which he spoke openly about winning the historic Ballon d’Or.

Ronaldo’s next listed club fixture is Al Nassr against Al Khlood in the Saudi Roshn League on 29 October 2026.

He is also scheduled to represent Portugal against Denmark in the UEFA Nations League – League A on 14 November 2026.