France Football announced on Wednesday that Cristiano Ronaldo had won the "BOAT" award as the best player in the history of the Ballon d'Or winners. The result prompted controversy over the voting system.
The award result
The award recognised Ronaldo's 2008 triumph with Manchester United. Ronaldo edged out Lionel Messi in the vote.
Messi finished second for the Ballon d'Or he won in 2012 while at Barcelona. Messi has lifted the Ballon d'Or eight times to Ronaldo's five.
How the voting worked
Marca confirmed, citing France Football, that the voting system let people cast their votes more than once at a cost of one euro per vote.
Repeat-vote figures
Under that system, 5,009 people voted more than once. A further 4,665 voted between two and four times, 300 people voted from five to nine times, and 44 people voted from 10 to 26 times.
The controversy
The method ignited the row, especially among Messi's fans.
