Ballon d'Or

Ballon d'Or

The Ballon d'Or (French pronunciation: [balɔ̃ dɔʁ] ; lit. 'Golden Ball') is an annual association football award presented by French magazine France Football since (/wiki/1956Ballond'Or) to honour the player judged to have performed the best over the previous season.

Conceived by sports writers Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran, the Ballon d'Or was based exclusively on voting by football journalists up until (/wiki/2006Ballond'Or). Originally, it was awarded only to players from Europe and was also known as the European Footballer of the Year award. In (/wiki/1995Ballond'Or), the Ballon d'Or was expanded to include all players of any origin active at European clubs. The award became a global prize in (/wiki/2007Ballond'Or) with all professional footballers being eligible; additionally, coaches and captains of national teams were also given the right to vote, before reverting to just journalists in (/wiki/2016Ballond'Or).

Between (/wiki/2010FIFABallond'Or) and (/wiki/2015FIFABallond'Or), in an agreement with FIFA, the award was merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year and rebranded as the FIFA Ballon d'Or. That partnership ended in 2016, and the award reverted to the Ballon d'Or, while FIFA also reinstated its own separate annual award, The Best FIFA Men's Player. In (/wiki/2022Ballond'Or), France Football modified the rules for the Ballon d'Or. The timing was changed so that the award is based on a football season rather than a calendar year, and an international jury of specialized journalists—one representative per country from the top 100 in the latest FIFA Men's World Ranking—was introduced to determine the winner. UEFA has co-organized the Ballon d'Or gala since (/wiki/2024Ballond'Or), with France Football retaining the voting system and the Ballon d'Or name.

Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or a record eight times, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five. Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten have each won the award three times, while Alfredo Di Stéfano, Franz Beckenbauer, Kevin Keegan, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Ronaldo have each won it twice. Ousmane Dembélé is the current holder of the award, having won its 69th edition in 2025.

Overview

Ballon d'Or

December 1956 issue of France Football magazine presenting the inaugural Ballon d'Or winner—Stanley Matthews.

The Ballon d'Or is widely regarded as the most prestigious individual award in football. Prior to (/wiki/2007Ballond'Or), it was based exclusively on voting by football journalists and was also known as the continental European Footballer of the Year award. Even after 2007, it was usually identified with and referred to by that name because of its origin as a European award, until it was merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year award cementing its new worldwide claim. Stanley Matthews of England was the inaugural winner of the award, and the oldest player to ever win it—at 41 years, 321 days old.

Liberia's George Weah, the only African recipient, became the first non-European to win the award in (/wiki/1995Ballond'Or), the year that rules of eligibility were changed and the Ballon d'Or was expanded to include all players of any origin active at European clubs; two years later, Ronaldo of Brazil became the first South American without a European citizenship to claim the award, and he is still the youngest winner ever at 21 years, 96 days old. The award became a global prize in 2007 with all professional footballers from clubs around the world being eligible; additionally, coaches and captains of national teams were also given the right to vote, before reverting to just journalists in (/wiki/2016Ballond'Or).

Gianni Rivera hoisting the 1969 Ballon d'Or.

Lionel Messi holds the record for most Ballon d'Or wins with eight, while five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo earned the most nominations with eighteen. Messi is the only player to win the award with three clubs and also the only one to win it while playing outside Europe, as well as being the player with the most podiums, finishing in the top-three a record fourteen times, including eleven consecutive from 2007 to 2017. Three players have won the award three times each: Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten. With seven awards each, Dutch, German, and Portuguese players have won the second most Ballons d'Or, underneath Argentina and France in first with eight.

Players from West Germany ((/wiki/1972Ballond'Or), (/wiki/1981Ballond'Or)) and the Netherlands ((/wiki/1988Ballond'Or)) occupied the top-three spots in a single year. West German (1972) and Italian (1988–(/wiki/1990Ballond'Or)) clubs achieved the same feat, including two individual years dominated by Milan players (1988, (/wiki/1989Ballond'Or)), a unique record until Spanish clubs experienced an unprecedented dominance ((/wiki/2009Ballond'Or)–(/wiki/2012FIFABallond'Or), (/wiki/2015FIFABallond'Or), 2016) and Barcelona ((/wiki/2010FIFABallond'Or)) became the second club to occupy the top-three. The award shows a bias in favour of attacking players, and, over time, it has gone to a more exclusive set of leagues and clubs. Prior to 1995, ten leagues supplied Ballon d'Or winners, whereas only England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United States have supplied winners since then. Spain's La Liga has the most Ballon d'Or winners overall, with twenty-four wins shared between Barcelona and Real Madrid; with twelve wins each, the two Spanish clubs also lead the overall club ranking for producing the most winners.

Between 2010 and 2015 inclusive, the award was merged with a similar one, the FIFA World Player of the Year award, to create the FIFA Ballon d'Or, which was awarded to the world's best male player before FIFA and France Football decided not to continue the merging agreement. The recipients of the joint FIFA Ballon d'Or are considered as winners by both award organizations. In 2020, Groupe Amaury, to which France Football belongs, decided that no award would be given for the year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on association football. It has been widely argued that the 2020 Ballon d'Or would likely have been awarded to Robert Lewandowski.

France Football modified the rules for the Ballon d'Or in (/wiki/2022Ballond'Or). They changed the timing so that awards were given not for achievements during a calendar year, but for a football season. It was also decided that an international jury of specialized journalists, with one representative per country, from the top 100 in the latest FIFA Men's World Ranking would determine the winner of the award; the plebiscite had previously been open to all countries since 2007. UEFA co-organizes the Ballon d'Or gala, a role it has held since (/wiki/2024Ballond'Or), with France Football retaining the voting system and the Ballon d'Or name.

Criteria

The Ballon d'Or is awarded based on three main criteria:

1) Individual performances, decisive and impressive character; 2) Team performances and achievements; 3) Class and fair play.

Nevertheless, critics have occasionally described the award as a "popularity contest", criticizing its voting process, its bias in favour of attacking players, and the idea of systematically singling out an individual in a team sport.

Winners

Ballon d'Or

Lionel Messi has won a record eight Ballons d'Or across three different decades, and holds the record for most consecutive wins, with four between (/wiki/2009Ballond'Or) and (/wiki/2012FIFABallond'Or).

Cristiano Ronaldo has been nominated for the Ballon d'Or a record eighteen times and is a five-time winner.

Stanley Matthews was the inaugural recipient and remains the oldest winner of the award, aged 41 years, 321 days.

Luis Suárez was the first midfielder to win the award.

Lev Yashin is the only goalkeeper to have won the award.

Johan Cruyff was the first player to win the award three times.

Franz Beckenbauer is the only defender to have won the award twice.

George Weah—the only African recipient—was the first non-European to win the award.

Two-time winner Ronaldo was the first South American to win the award and remains the youngest recipient, aged 21 years, 96 days.

Ousmane Dembélé is the current award holder.

Note: Until (/wiki/2021Ballond'Or), the Ballon d'Or was awarded based on player performance during the calendar year. Since (/wiki/2022Ballond'Or), jurors have been instructed to take into account the previous season.

<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Rank</th><th>Player</th><th>Team</th><th>Points</th></tr><tr><th colspan="5">Ballon d'Or (1956–2009)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td rowspan="3">1956</td><td>1st</td><td>Stanley Matthews</td><td>Blackpool</td><td>47</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Alfredo Di Stéfano</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>44</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Raymond Kopa</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>33</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="4">1957</td><td>1st</td><td>Alfredo Di Stéfano (1)</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>72</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Billy Wright</td><td>Wolverhampton Wanderers</td><td>19</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2">3rd</td><td>Duncan Edwards</td><td>Manchester United</td><td rowspan="2">16</td></tr><tr><td>Raymond Kopa</td><td>Real Madrid</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1958</td><td>1st</td><td>Raymond Kopa</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>71</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Helmut Rahn</td><td>Rot-Weiss Essen</td><td>40</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Just Fontaine</td><td>Reims</td><td>23</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1959</td><td>1st</td><td>Alfredo Di Stéfano (2)</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>80</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Raymond Kopa</td><td>Reims</td><td>42</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>John Charles</td><td>Juventus</td><td>24</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1960</td><td>1st</td><td>Luis Suárez</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>54</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Ferenc Puskás</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>37</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Uwe Seeler</td><td>Hamburger SV</td><td>33</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1961</td><td>1st</td><td>Omar Sívori</td><td>Juventus</td><td>46</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Luis Suárez</td><td>Inter Milan</td><td>40</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Johnny Haynes</td><td>Fulham</td><td>22</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1962</td><td>1st</td><td>Josef Masopust</td><td>Dukla Prague</td><td>65</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Eusébio</td><td>Benfica</td><td>53</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Karl-Heinz Schnellinger</td><td>1. FC Köln</td><td>33</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1963</td><td>1st</td><td>Lev Yashin</td><td>Dynamo Moscow</td><td>73</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Gianni Rivera</td><td>Milan</td><td>55</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Jimmy Greaves</td><td>Tottenham Hotspur</td><td>50</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1964</td><td>1st</td><td>Denis Law</td><td>Manchester United</td><td>61</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Luis Suárez</td><td>Inter Milan</td><td>43</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Amancio</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>38</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1965</td><td>1st</td><td>Eusébio</td><td>Benfica</td><td>67</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Giacinto Facchetti</td><td>Inter Milan</td><td>59</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Luis Suárez</td><td>Inter Milan</td><td>45</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1966</td><td>1st</td><td>Bobby Charlton</td><td>Manchester United</td><td>81</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Eusébio</td><td>Benfica</td><td>80</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Franz Beckenbauer</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>59</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1967</td><td>1st</td><td>Flórián Albert</td><td>Ferencváros</td><td>68</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Bobby Charlton</td><td>Manchester United</td><td>40</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Jimmy Johnstone</td><td>Celtic</td><td>39</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1968</td><td>1st</td><td>George Best</td><td>Manchester United</td><td>61</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Bobby Charlton</td><td>Manchester United</td><td>53</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Dragan Džajić</td><td>Red Star Belgrade</td><td>46</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1969</td><td>1st</td><td>Gianni Rivera</td><td>Milan</td><td>83</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Gigi Riva</td><td>Cagliari</td><td>79</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Gerd Müller</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>38</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1970</td><td>1st</td><td>Gerd Müller</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>77</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Bobby Moore</td><td>West Ham United</td><td>70</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Gigi Riva</td><td>Cagliari</td><td>65</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1971</td><td>1st</td><td>Johan Cruyff (1)</td><td>Ajax</td><td>116</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Sandro Mazzola</td><td>Inter Milan</td><td>57</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>George Best</td><td>Manchester United</td><td>56</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1972</td><td>1st</td><td>Franz Beckenbauer (1)</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>81</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2">2nd</td><td>Gerd Müller</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td rowspan="2">79</td></tr><tr><td>Günter Netzer</td><td>Borussia Mönchengladbach</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1973</td><td>1st</td><td>Johan Cruyff (2)</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>96</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Dino Zoff</td><td>Juventus</td><td>47</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Gerd Müller</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>44</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1974</td><td>1st</td><td>Johan Cruyff (3)</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>116</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Franz Beckenbauer</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>105</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Kazimierz Deyna</td><td>Legia Warsaw</td><td>35</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1975</td><td>1st</td><td>Oleg Blokhin</td><td>Dynamo Kyiv</td><td>122</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Franz Beckenbauer</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>42</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Johan Cruyff</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>27</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1976</td><td>1st</td><td>Franz Beckenbauer (2)</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>91</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Rob Rensenbrink</td><td>Anderlecht</td><td>75</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Ivo Viktor</td><td>Dukla Prague</td><td>52</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1977</td><td>1st</td><td>Allan Simonsen</td><td>Borussia Mönchengladbach</td><td>74</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Kevin Keegan</td><td>Hamburger SV</td><td>71</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Michel Platini</td><td>Nancy</td><td>70</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1978</td><td>1st</td><td>Kevin Keegan (1)</td><td>Hamburger SV</td><td>87</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Hans Krankl</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>81</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Rob Rensenbrink</td><td>Anderlecht</td><td>50</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1979</td><td>1st</td><td>Kevin Keegan (2)</td><td>Hamburger SV</td><td>118</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Karl-Heinz Rummenigge</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>52</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Ruud Krol</td><td>Ajax</td><td>41</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1980</td><td>1st</td><td>Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1)</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>122</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Bernd Schuster</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>34</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Michel Platini</td><td>Saint-Étienne</td><td>33</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1981</td><td>1st</td><td>Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (2)</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>106</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Paul Breitner</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>64</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Bernd Schuster</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>39</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1982</td><td>1st</td><td>Paolo Rossi</td><td>Juventus</td><td>115</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Alain Giresse</td><td>Bordeaux</td><td>64</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Zbigniew Boniek</td><td>Juventus</td><td>39</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1983</td><td>1st</td><td>Michel Platini (1)</td><td>Juventus</td><td>110</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Kenny Dalglish</td><td>Liverpool</td><td>26</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Allan Simonsen</td><td>Vejle</td><td>25</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1984</td><td>1st</td><td>Michel Platini (2)</td><td>Juventus</td><td>110</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Jean Tigana</td><td>Bordeaux</td><td>57</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Preben Elkjær</td><td>Hellas Verona</td><td>48</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1985</td><td>1st</td><td>Michel Platini (3)</td><td>Juventus</td><td>127</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Preben Elkjær</td><td>Hellas Verona</td><td>71</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Bernd Schuster</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>46</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1986</td><td>1st</td><td>Igor Belanov</td><td>Dynamo Kyiv</td><td>84</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Gary Lineker</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>62</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Emilio Butragueño</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>59</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1987</td><td>1st</td><td>Ruud Gullit</td><td>Milan</td><td>106</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Paulo Futre</td><td>Atlético Madrid</td><td>91</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Emilio Butragueño</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>61</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1988</td><td>1st</td><td>Marco van Basten (1)</td><td>Milan</td><td>129</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Ruud Gullit</td><td>Milan</td><td>88</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Frank Rijkaard</td><td>Milan</td><td>45</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1989</td><td>1st</td><td>Marco van Basten (2)</td><td>Milan</td><td>129</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Franco Baresi</td><td>Milan</td><td>80</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Frank Rijkaard</td><td>Milan</td><td>43</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1990</td><td>1st</td><td>Lothar Matthäus</td><td>Inter Milan</td><td>137</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Salvatore Schillaci</td><td>Juventus</td><td>84</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Andreas Brehme</td><td>Inter Milan</td><td>68</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="4">1991</td><td>1st</td><td>Jean-Pierre Papin</td><td>Marseille</td><td>141</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2nd</td><td>Dejan Savićević</td><td>Red Star Belgrade</td><td rowspan="3">42</td></tr><tr><td>Darko Pančev</td><td>Red Star Belgrade</td></tr><tr><td>Lothar Matthäus</td><td>Inter Milan</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1992</td><td>1st</td><td>Marco van Basten (3)</td><td>Milan</td><td>98</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Hristo Stoichkov</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>80</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Dennis Bergkamp</td><td>Ajax</td><td>53</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1993</td><td>1st</td><td>Roberto Baggio</td><td>Juventus</td><td>142</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Dennis Bergkamp</td><td>Inter Milan</td><td>83</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Eric Cantona</td><td>Manchester United</td><td>34</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1994</td><td>1st</td><td>Hristo Stoichkov</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>210</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Roberto Baggio</td><td>Juventus</td><td>136</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Paolo Maldini</td><td>Milan</td><td>109</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1995</td><td>1st</td><td>George Weah</td><td>Milan</td><td>144</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Jürgen Klinsmann</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>108</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Jari Litmanen</td><td>Ajax</td><td>67</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1996</td><td>1st</td><td>Matthias Sammer</td><td>Borussia Dortmund</td><td>144</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Ronaldo</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>143</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Alan Shearer</td><td>Newcastle United</td><td>107</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1997</td><td>1st</td><td>Ronaldo (1)</td><td>Inter Milan</td><td>222</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Predrag Mijatović</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>68</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Zinedine Zidane</td><td>Juventus</td><td>63</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1998</td><td>1st</td><td>Zinedine Zidane</td><td>Juventus</td><td>244</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Davor Šuker</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>68</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Ronaldo</td><td>Inter Milan</td><td>66</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">1999</td><td>1st</td><td>Rivaldo</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>219</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>David Beckham</td><td>Manchester United</td><td>154</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Andriy Shevchenko</td><td>Milan</td><td>64</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2000</td><td>1st</td><td>Luís Figo</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>197</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Zinedine Zidane</td><td>Juventus</td><td>181</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Andriy Shevchenko</td><td>Milan</td><td>85</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2001</td><td>1st</td><td>Michael Owen</td><td>Liverpool</td><td>176</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Raúl</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>140</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Oliver Kahn</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>114</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2002</td><td>1st</td><td>Ronaldo (2)</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>169</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Roberto Carlos</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>145</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Oliver Kahn</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>110</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2003</td><td>1st</td><td>Pavel Nedvěd</td><td>Juventus</td><td>190</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Thierry Henry</td><td>Arsenal</td><td>128</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Paolo Maldini</td><td>Milan</td><td>123</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2004</td><td>1st</td><td>Andriy Shevchenko</td><td>Milan</td><td>175</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Deco</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>139</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Ronaldinho</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>133</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2005</td><td>1st</td><td>Ronaldinho</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>225</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Frank Lampard</td><td>Chelsea</td><td>148</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Steven Gerrard</td><td>Liverpool</td><td>142</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2006</td><td>1st</td><td>Fabio Cannavaro</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>173</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Gianluigi Buffon</td><td>Juventus</td><td>124</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Thierry Henry</td><td>Arsenal</td><td>121</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2007</td><td>1st</td><td>Kaká</td><td>Milan</td><td>444</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Cristiano Ronaldo</td><td>Manchester United</td><td>277</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Lionel Messi</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>255</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2008</td><td>1st</td><td>Cristiano Ronaldo (1)</td><td>Manchester United</td><td>446</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Lionel Messi</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>281</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Fernando Torres</td><td>Liverpool</td><td>179</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2009</td><td>1st</td><td>Lionel Messi (1)</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>473</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Cristiano Ronaldo</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>233</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Xavi</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>170</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5">FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010–2015)</th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2010</td><td>1st</td><td>Lionel Messi (2)</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>22.65%</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Andrés Iniesta</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>17.36%</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Xavi</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>16.48%</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2011</td><td>1st</td><td>Lionel Messi (3)</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>47.88%</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Cristiano Ronaldo</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>21.60%</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Xavi</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>9.23%</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2012</td><td>1st</td><td>Lionel Messi (4)</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>41.60%</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Cristiano Ronaldo</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>23.68%</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Andrés Iniesta</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>10.91%</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2013</td><td>1st</td><td>Cristiano Ronaldo (2)</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>27.99%</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Lionel Messi</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>24.72%</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Franck Ribéry</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>23.36%</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2014</td><td>1st</td><td>Cristiano Ronaldo (3)</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>37.66%</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Lionel Messi</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>15.76%</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Manuel Neuer</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>15.72%</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2015</td><td>1st</td><td>Lionel Messi (5)</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>41.33%</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Cristiano Ronaldo</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>27.76%</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Neymar</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>7.86%</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5">Ballon d'Or (2016–present)</th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2016</td><td>1st</td><td>Cristiano Ronaldo (4)</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>745</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Lionel Messi</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>316</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Antoine Griezmann</td><td>Atlético Madrid</td><td>198</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2017</td><td>1st</td><td>Cristiano Ronaldo (5)</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>946</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Lionel Messi</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>670</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Neymar</td><td>Paris Saint-Germain</td><td>361</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2018</td><td>1st</td><td>Luka Modrić</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>753</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Cristiano Ronaldo</td><td>Juventus</td><td>476</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Antoine Griezmann</td><td>Atlético Madrid</td><td>414</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2019</td><td>1st</td><td>Lionel Messi (6)</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>686</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Virgil van Dijk</td><td>Liverpool</td><td>679</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Cristiano Ronaldo</td><td>Juventus</td><td>476</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td>2020</td><td colspan="4">Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2021</td><td>1st</td><td>Lionel Messi (7)</td><td>Paris Saint-Germain</td><td>613</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Robert Lewandowski</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>580</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Jorginho</td><td>Chelsea</td><td>460</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2022</td><td>1st</td><td>Karim Benzema</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>549</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Sadio Mané</td><td>Bayern Munich</td><td>193</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Kevin De Bruyne</td><td>Manchester City</td><td>175</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2023</td><td>1st</td><td>Lionel Messi (8)</td><td>Inter Miami</td><td>462</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Erling Haaland</td><td>Manchester City</td><td>357</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Kylian Mbappé</td><td>Paris Saint-Germain</td><td>270</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2024</td><td>1st</td><td>Rodri</td><td>Manchester City</td><td>1170</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Vinícius Júnior</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>1129</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Jude Bellingham</td><td>Real Madrid</td><td>917</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2025</td><td>1st</td><td>Ousmane Dembélé</td><td>Paris Saint-Germain</td><td>1380</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td><td>Lamine Yamal</td><td>Barcelona</td><td>1059</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td><td>Vitinha</td><td>Paris Saint-Germain</td><td>703</td></tr><tr><th colspan="5"></th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">2026</td><td>1st</td><td colspan="3" rowspan="3">To be announced on 26 October 2026</td></tr><tr><td>2nd</td></tr><tr><td>3rd</td></tr></tbody></table>

Wins by player

Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Lionel Messi (right) won thirteen Ballon d'Or trophies between them from (/wiki/2008Ballond'Or) to (/wiki/2023Ballond'Or).

Kevin Keegan won the award back-to-back in (/wiki/1978Ballond'Or) and (/wiki/1979Ballond'Or).

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge won the award back-to-back in (/wiki/1980Ballond'Or) and (/wiki/1981Ballond'Or).

Michel Platini won the award three years running from (/wiki/1983Ballond'Or) to (/wiki/1985Ballond'Or).

Player	Winner	Second place	Third place
Lionel Messi	8 (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023)	5 (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)	1 (2007)
Cristiano Ronaldo	5 (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)	6 (2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018)	1 (2019)
Michel Platini	3 (1983, 1984, 1985)		2 (1977, 1980)
Johan Cruyff	3 (1971, 1973, 1974)		1 (1975)
Marco van Basten	3 (1988, 1989, 1992)
Franz Beckenbauer	2 (1972, 1976)	2 (1974, 1975)	1 (1966)
Ronaldo	2 (1997, 2002)	1 (1996)	1 (1998)
Alfredo Di Stéfano	2 (1957, 1959)	1 (1956)
Kevin Keegan	2 (1978, 1979)	1 (1977)
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	2 (1980, 1981)	1 (1979)
Luis Suárez	1 (1960)	2 (1961, 1964)	1 (1965)
Eusébio	1 (1965)	2 (1962, 1966)
Bobby Charlton	1 (1966)	2 (1967, 1968)
Raymond Kopa	1 (1958)	1 (1959)	2 (1956, 1957)
Gerd Müller	1 (1970)	1 (1972)	2 (1969, 1973)
Zinedine Zidane	1 (1998)	1 (2000)	1 (1997)
Gianni Rivera	1 (1969)	1 (1963)
Ruud Gullit	1 (1987)	1 (1988)
Lothar Matthäus	1 (1990)	1 (1991)
Roberto Baggio	1 (1993)	1 (1994)
Hristo Stoichkov	1 (1994)	1 (1992)
Andriy Shevchenko	1 (2004)		2 (1999, 2000)
George Best	1 (1968)		1 (1971)
Allan Simonsen	1 (1977)		1 (1983)
Ronaldinho	1 (2005)		1 (2004)
Stanley Matthews	1 (1956)
Omar Sívori	1 (1961)
Josef Masopust	1 (1962)
Lev Yashin	1 (1963)
Denis Law	1 (1964)
Flórián Albert	1 (1967)
Oleg Blokhin	1 (1975)
Paolo Rossi	1 (1982)
Igor Belanov	1 (1986)
Jean-Pierre Papin	1 (1991)
George Weah	1 (1995)
Matthias Sammer	1 (1996)
Rivaldo	1 (1999)
Luís Figo	1 (2000)
Michael Owen	1 (2001)
Pavel Nedvěd	1 (2003)
Fabio Cannavaro	1 (2006)
Kaká	1 (2007)
Luka Modrić	1 (2018)
Karim Benzema	1 (2022)
Rodri	1 (2024)
Ousmane Dembélé	1 (2025)

Wins by country

Marco van Basten (left) and Ruud Gullit (right), teammates for Milan and the Netherlands, won in consecutive years from (/wiki/1987Ballond'Or) to (/wiki/1989Ballond'Or).

Ballon d'Or winners (left to right) Andriy Shevchenko of Ukraine, and Soviet-era winners Oleg Blokhin and Igor Belanov.

Country	Players	Wins
France	6	8
Argentina	1	8
Germany	5	7
Netherlands	3	7
Portugal	3	7
Italy	5	5
Brazil	4	5
England	4	5
Spain	3	4
Soviet Union	3	3
Bulgaria	1	1
Croatia	1	1
Czech Republic	1	1
Czechoslovakia	1	1
Denmark	1	1
Hungary	1	1
Liberia	1	1
Northern Ireland	1	1
Scotland	1	1
Ukraine	1	1

Wins by club

One of Lionel Messi's awards—displayed at the FC Barcelona Museum.

Statue outside Old Trafford of Manchester United Ballon d'Or winners (left to right) George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton, known as the United Trinity.

Club	Players	Wins
Real Madrid	8	12
Barcelona	6	12
Juventus	6	8
Milan	6	8
Bayern Munich	3	5
Manchester United	4	4
Dynamo Kyiv	2	2
Inter Milan	2	2
Paris Saint-Germain	2	2
Hamburger SV	1	2
Ajax	1	1
Benfica	1	1
Blackpool	1	1
Borussia Dortmund	1	1
Borussia Mönchengladbach	1	1
Dukla Prague	1	1
Dynamo Moscow	1	1
Ferencváros	1	1
Inter Miami	1	1
Liverpool	1	1
Manchester City	1	1
Marseille	1	1

Additional awards

Seasonal awards

Aitana Bonmatí won the Ballon d'Or Féminin a record three times and in consecutive years, from (/wiki/2023Ballond'Or#Ballond'OrFéminin) to (/wiki/2025Ballond'Or#Ballond'OrFéminin).

In addition to the Ballon d'Or award, France Football has introduced several complementary honours over the years to recognize excellence across different aspects of the game.

<table><thead><tr><th>Award</th><th>First awarded</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th>Ballon d'Or Féminin</th><td>2018</td><td>Awarded to the female player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.</td></tr><tr><th>Kopa Trophy</th><td>2018</td><td>Awarded to the best performing player under the age of 21; since 2025, also awarded in women's football.</td></tr><tr><th>Yashin Trophy</th><td>2019</td><td>Awarded to the best goalkeeper of the season; since 2025, also awarded in women's football.</td></tr><tr><th>Gerd Müller Trophy</th><td>2021</td><td>Awarded to the highest-scoring player across club and international competitions over the season; originally introduced as Striker of the Year.</td></tr><tr><th>Club of the Year</th><td>2021</td><td>Awarded to the best performing club of the season, based on collective achievements; since 2023, also awarded in women's football.</td></tr><tr><th>Sócrates Award</th><td>2022</td><td>Awarded to footballers for outstanding humanitarian and social contributions off the pitch.</td></tr><tr><th>Johan Cruyff Trophy</th><td>2024</td><td>Awarded to the best coach of the season; includes men's and women's categories.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Special awards

Pelé was voted Football Player of the Century in 1999. He was also the recipient of the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur in 2013, and in 2020 he was selected to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team.

Diego Maradona was honoured with the Golden Ballon d'Or in 1995 and he was also selected to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team.

In addition to its annual awards, the Ballon d'Or has also been associated with a number of special and honorary distinctions, introduced on specific occasions to commemorate milestones, recognize all-time greatness, or address historical limitations of the award.

Super Ballon d'Or

Two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alfredo Di Stéfano, recipient of the Super Ballon d'Or in 1989.

The Super Ballon d'Or is an honorary award presented to Alfredo Di Stéfano in 1989, who was voted the greatest multiple-time Ballon d'Or winner ahead of Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini.

Additionally, other honorary distinctions have been awarded in connection with the Ballon d'Or. Diego Maradona received an honorary award in 1995, referred to as the Golden Ballon d'Or, in recognition of his services to football. Pelé received a similar honour during the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony, known as the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur.

Football Player of the Century

In 1999, France Football voted Pelé as the Football Player of the Century after consulting their former Ballon d'Or recipients. Among the 34 previous winners, 30 cast their votes, while Stanley Matthews, Omar Sívori and George Best refused to vote, and Lev Yashin had died. Each voter was allotted five votes worth up to five points; however, Di Stéfano only chose a first place, Platini a first and second place, and George Weah two players for fifth place. Pelé was named the greatest by 17 voters, receiving almost double the number of points earned by the second place, Diego Maradona.

Player	Pts	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
Pelé	122	17	5	4	2	1
Diego Maradona	65	3	6	5	5	1
Johan Cruyff	62	1	4	7	9	2
Alfredo Di Stéfano	44	4	3	3	1	1
Michel Platini	40	1	5	1	3	6

Le nouveau palmarès

To coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Ballon d'Or in (/wiki/2016Ballond'Or), France Football published an internationalized reevaluation of the awards presented before (/wiki/1995Ballond'Or), when only European players were eligible to win the award. 12 out of the 39 Ballons d'Or presented during this time period would have been awarded to South American players; in addition to Pelé—seven times—and Diego Maradona—twice—Garrincha, Mario Kempes, and Romário were retrospectively recognized as worthy winners. The original recipients, however, remain unchanged.

Year	Original winner	Alternative
1958	Raymond Kopa	Pelé
1959	Alfredo Di Stéfano	Pelé
1960	Luis Suárez	Pelé
1961	Omar Sívori	Pelé
1962	Josef Masopust	Garrincha
1963	Lev Yashin	Pelé
1964	Denis Law	Pelé
1970	Gerd Müller	Pelé
1978	Kevin Keegan	Mario Kempes
1986	Igor Belanov	Diego Maradona
1990	Lothar Matthäus	Diego Maradona
1994	Hristo Stoichkov	Romário

Ballon d'Or Dream Team

Paolo Maldini was one of the defenders named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team.

An all-time all-star team, the Ballon d'Or Dream Team, was published in December 2020 by France Football, honouring football's greatest players of all time. A second and a third team were also published.

Goalkeeper	Defenders	Midfielders	Forwards
First Team
Lev Yashin	Cafu Franz Beckenbauer Paolo Maldini	Xavi Lothar Matthäus Diego Maradona Pelé	Lionel Messi Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo
Second Team
Gianluigi Buffon	Carlos Alberto Franco Baresi Roberto Carlos	Andrea Pirlo Frank Rijkaard Zinedine Zidane Alfredo Di Stéfano	Garrincha Johan Cruyff Ronaldinho
Third Team
Manuel Neuer	Philipp Lahm Sergio Ramos Paul Breitner	Johan Neeskens Didi Michel Platini Andrés Iniesta	George Best Marco van Basten Thierry Henry

Ballon d'Or 40+ Club

The Ballon d'Or 40+ Club is a prestigious, honorary grouping created and recognized by the Ballon d'Or to celebrate elite football legends who are aged 40 or older and have won or been nominated for the Ballon d'Or.

Members
Manuel Neuer
Cristiano Ronaldo
Luka Modrić
Thiago Silva
Guillermo Ochoa
Radamel Falcao
Edin Džeko