, more than any player. Cristiano Ronaldo comes second having won 5 Ballon d'Or awards.){kind=link}
The men’s Ballon d’Or is one of football’s most prestigious awards, if not the most, and it is no surprising that it has become the obsession of footballers, fans and their respective clubs over the years and many, particularly fans and colleagues of certain footballers gladly tip their teammates to win the prestigious award after a successful season at the league and most importantly, Champions League level.
Despite its importance, the number of winners of the Ballon d’Or over the years are not as much as nominees who keep changing almost every year and are usually lined up as top 3 after trimming them.
In this post, we shall be taking a look at the long list of men’s Ballon d’Or winners, what year they won, their clubs at the time they won the award and some other fascinating details about the most coveted individual trophy in football.
What is the Ballon d’Or?
The Ballon d’Or, which translates into “Golden Ball” is an annual football award presented by the France Football Magazine to the most outstanding individual player in a team. The one who wins the Ballon d’Or award is regarded as the best player in the world for the year they won it. The female version of the award is called Ballon d’Or Féminin.
History of The Ballon d’Or
The Ballon d’Or was first awarded in 1956 to Stanley Matthews of England. It was initially known as the continental European Footballer of the Year award and was only awarded to European players until 1995 when it merged with FIFA’s World Player award in a bid to make the award have a global appeal. George Weah of Liberia won it same year, becoming the first African player to ever win the award. Ronaldo of Brazil would later win it in 1997, to become the first Brazilian/South American to win the award. In 2007, the rules were changed to include players from every continent.
Men’s Ballon d’Or Award Winners
Below is the complete list of all men’s Ballon d’Or award winners from the inception of the award; their nationality and the year they won their Ballon d’Or awards As of November 2023.
| Year | Player | Nationality | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Karim Benzema | France | Real Madrid |
| 2021 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Paris Saint-Germain F.C. |
| 2020 | not awarded due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2019 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2018 | Luka Modric | Croatia | Real Madrid |
| 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2015 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2012 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2011 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2010 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2009 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Manchester United |
| 2007 | Kaká | Brazil | Milan |
| 2006 | Fabio Cannavaro | Italy | Real Madrid |
| 2005 | Ronaldinho | Brazil | Barcelona |
| 2004 | Andriy Shevchenko | Ukrain | Milan |
| 2003 | Pavel Nedvěd | Czechia | Juventus |
| 2002 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Real Madrid |
| 2001 | Michael Owen | England | Liverpool |
| 2000 | Luís Figo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 1999 | Rivaldo | Brazil | Barcelona |
| 1998 | Zinedine Zidane | France | Juventus |
| 1997 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Internazionale |
| 1996 | Matthias Sammer | Germany | Borussia Dortmund |
| 1995 | George Weah | Liberia | Milan |
| 1994 | Hristo Stoichkov | Bulgaria | Barcelona |
| 1993 | Roberto Baggio | Italy | Juventus |
| 1992 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1991 | Jean-Pierre Papin | France | Marseille |
| 1990 | Lothar Matthäus | Germany | Internazionale |
| 1989 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1988 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1987 | Ruud Gullit | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1986 | Igor Belanov | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1985 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1984 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1983 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italy | Juventus |
| 1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1979 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburg |
| 1978 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburg |
| 1977 | Allan Simonsen | Denmark | Borussia M”nchengladbach |
| 1976 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1975 | Oleg Blokhin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1974 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Barcelona |
| 1973 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Barcelona |
| 1972 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1971 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Ajax |
| 1970 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1969 | Gianni Rivera | Italy | Milan |
| 1968 | George Best | Northern Ireland | Manchester United |
| 1967 | Flórián Albert | Hungary | Ferencv rosi TC |
| 1966 | Bobby Charlton | England | Manchester United |
| 1965 | Eusébio | Portugal | Benfica |
| 1964 | Denis Law | Scotland | Manchester United |
| 1963 | Lev Yashin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Moscow |
| 1962 | Josef Masopust | Czechoslovakia | Dukla Prague |
| 1961 | Omar Sívori | Italy | Juventus |
| 1960 | Luis Suárez | Spain | Barcelona |
| 1959 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain | Real Madrid |
| 1958 | Raymond Kopa | France | Real Madrid |
| 1957 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain | Real Madrid |
| 1956 | Stanley Matthews | England | Blackpool |
Ballon d’Or Wins by Players
Currently, Lionel Messi of Argentina has the highest Ballon d’Or win with 7 awards. Below is a list of men’s footballers that have won the Ballon d’Or more than once:
| Player | Number of Ballon d’Or Awards | Second place | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | 7 (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021) | 5 (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) | Argentina |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 5 (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) | 6 (2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018) | Portugal |
| Michel Platini | 3 (1983, 1984, 1985) | — | France |
| Johan Cruyff | 3 (1971, 1973, 1974) | — | Netherlands |
| Marco van Basten | 3 (1988, 1989, 1992) | — | Netherlands |
| Franz Beckenbauer | 2 (1972, 1976) | 2 (1974, 1975) | Germany |
| Ronaldo | 2 (1997, 2002) | 1 (1996) | Brazil |
| Alfredo Di Stéfano | 2 (1957, 1959) | 1 (1956) | Spain |
| Kevin Keegan | 2 (1978, 1979) | 1 (1977) | England |
| Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | 2 (1980, 1981) | 1 (1979) | Germany |
Ballon d’or wins by Country
Argentina, Netherlands, Portugal and Germany all hold the most Ballon d’Or win by country, with each of them winning the individual football award seven (7) times. However, only Argentina have won the Ballon d’Or award with just one player, Lionel Messi.
| Country | Players | Ballon d’Or Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 1 | 7 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 7 |
| Portugal | 3 | 7 |
| Germany | 5 | 7 |
| France | 5 | 7 |
| Italy | 5 | 5 |
| Brazil | 4 | 5 |
| England | 4 | 5 |
| Soviet Union | 3 | 3 |
| Spain | 2 | 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 |
Ballon d’or wins by Club
Barcelona and Real Madrid has the most Ballon d’Or wins by club (12 apiece), with six of Barcelona players winning all 12, while 8 Real Madrid players bagged all 12 for the Spanish giant. Seven of Barcelona’s Ballon d’or is won by Lionel Messi while Five of Real Madrid’s Ballon d’or is won by Cristiano Ronaldo.
| Club | Players | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | 6 | 12 |
| Real Madrid | 8 | 12 |
| Juventus | 6 | 8 |
| Milan | 6 | 8 |
| Bayern Munich | 3 | 5 |
| Manchester United | 4 | 4 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 2 | 2 |
| Internazionale | 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 |
| Liverpool | 1 | 1 |
| Marseille | 1 | 1 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 1 | 1 |
What qualifies a player for Ballon d’Or?
First, the Ballon d’Or is an individual award. Thus, a player who aspires to win the Ballon d’Or must be brilliant individually and must win trophies with his club, mostly the league cup and the UEFA Champions League. In a World Cup year, he must be exceptional and not necessarily win the World Cup. Although, winning the World Cup is a huge plus.
Who has the most Ballon d’Or wins?
Lionel Messi of Argentina has the most Ballon d’or wins (7), more than any player. Cristiano Ronaldo comes second having won 5 Ballon d’Or awards. Michel Platini, Marco van Basten and Johan Cryuff have all won 3 Ballon d’or awards each.