Cristiano Ronaldo has reacted to being crowned the greatest player in history by France Football magazine, an honour the Al-Nassr captain shared with the fans.
Posting on X, Ronaldo wrote: "Football belongs to the fans.. Thank you to all the supporters around the world."
The Portuguese star continued: "The Ballon d'Or award for the greatest player in history is your award too."
According to ESPN, the Portuguese Federation also congratulated Ronaldo after he won the Ballon d'Or for the greatest player in history.
A month-long public online vote decided the award, and Ronaldo edged out Lionel Messi by a narrow margin.
On X, the Portuguese Federation wrote: "From 2008 to forever. The greatest player to win the Ballon d'Or in history is Portuguese. Congratulations, captain."
Ronaldo's honour recognised his 2007-2008 season with Manchester United. He fired 42 goals in all competitions as the club lifted both the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, winning him the first Ballon d'Or of his career.
His former clubs, Manchester United and Real Madrid, joined the celebrations too.
Five Ballon d'Or awards now sit on the Portugal striker's mantelpiece, four of them earned at Real Madrid in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Marca reported that all eyes turned to Ronaldo's social media accounts once the online vote was settled.
He said nothing about the competition and posted no lengthy statement. Instead, he shared a set of photos on Instagram documenting his daily work and training routine, captioned with a single word: "Preparing."
That brief message sparked thousands of reactions and comments from fans, who read it as a sign of the competitive mentality that keeps him locked on training and work, no matter how many awards pile up in his career.
Within minutes, an image of the player training at full tilt spread far and wide. Only then did he release his message on X, speaking openly about being crowned the Ballon d'Or's best player.