| 2008 Ballon d'Or | |
|---|---|
 2008Ballon d'Or winnerCristiano Ronaldo | |
| Date | 2 December 2008 (2008-12-02) |
| Location | Paris, France |
| Country | France |
| Presented by | France Football |
| Highlights | |
| Won by |  Cristiano Ronaldo (1st award) |
| Website | www |
The2008 Ballon d'Or, given to the bestfootball player in the world as judged by an international panel of sports journalists,[1] was awarded on 2 December 2008.[2]Cristiano Ronaldo won the award, being his first of five. His win also began a 10-year dominance of the award between him andLionel Messi — which eventually led to an intenserivalry between the two. Both players had won fiveBallon d'Or awards before the dominance was ended in2018 byLuka Modrić.
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| Ballon d'Or (1956–1994) (European only) |
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| Ballon d'Or (1995–2009) | |
| FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010–2015) | |
| Ballon d'Or (2016–present) | |
