The Ballon d’Or is an annual award presented by France Football to the best male and female footballers over the previous year. Since its inception in 1956, the award has been a prestigious honor in world football, recognizing the greatest players in the sport.
Ballon d’Or Winners and Records
Messi Holds Record for Most Ballon d’Or Wins
Lionel Messi remains the player with the most Ballon d’Or wins, having claimed the trophy a record eight times. His long-time rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, has won it five times. However, for the first time since 2003, neither Messi nor Ronaldo was included in the list of nominees for the 2024 edition of the award.
Ballon d’Or Eligibility and Historical Context
The Ballon d’Or was originally introduced in 1956 and was initially restricted to European players playing in European clubs. This meant legendary footballers such as Pelé and Diego Maradona were never able to win the award during their playing careers. It was only in 1995 that the eligibility criteria were expanded to include non-European players playing in Europe, with George Weah becoming the first non-European winner. Later, in 2007, the award was further expanded to include players from any league in the world.
The FIFA Player of the Year award was merged with the Ballon d’Or between 2010 and 2015 to form the FIFA Ballon d’Or. However, since 2016, the two awards have been separated again.
Complete List of Ballon d’Or Winners (1956-Present)
The following is a complete list of men’s Ballon d’Or winners since its inception in 1956:
| Player | Nationality | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Stanley Matthews | England | 1956 |
| Alfredo Di Stefano | Argentina/Spain | 1957 |
| Raymond Kopa | France | 1958 |
| Alfredo Di Stefano | Argentina/Spain | 1959 |
| Luis Suárez | Spain | 1960 |
| Omar Sivori | Italy | 1961 |
| Josef Masopust | Czechoslovakia | 1962 |
| Lev Yashin | Soviet Union | 1963 |
| Denis Law | England | 1964 |
| Eusébio | Portugal | 1965 |
| Bobby Charlton | England | 1966 |
| Flórián Albert | Hungary | 1967 |
| George Best | Northern Ireland | 1968 |
| Gianni Rivera | Italy | 1969 |
| Gerd Müller | West Germany | 1970 |
| Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | 1971 |
| Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | 1972 |
| Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | 1973 |
| Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | 1974 |
| Oleg Blokhin | Soviet Union | 1975 |
| Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | 1976 |
| Allan Simonsen | Denmark | 1977 |
| Kevin Keegan | England | 1978 |
| Kevin Keegan | England | 1979 |
| Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | 1980 |
| Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | 1981 |
| Paolo Rossi | Italy | 1982 |
| Michel Platini | France | 1983 |
| Michel Platini | France | 1984 |
| Michel Platini | France | 1985 |
| Igor Belanov | Soviet Union | 1986 |
| Ruud Gullit | Netherlands | 1987 |
| Marco van Basten | Netherlands | 1988 |
| Marco van Basten | Netherlands | 1989 |
| Lothar Matthäus | Germany | 1990 |
| Jean-Pierre Papin | France | 1991 |
| Marco van Basten | Netherlands | 1992 |
| Roberto Baggio | Italy | 1993 |
| Hristo Stoichkov | Bulgaria | 1994 |
| George Weah | Liberia | 1995 |
| Matthias Sammer | Germany | 1996 |
| Ronaldo | Brazil | 1997 |
| Zinedine Zidane | France | 1998 |
| Rivaldo | Brazil | 1999 |
| Luís Figo | Portugal | 2000 |
| Michael Owen | England | 2001 |
| Ronaldo | Brazil | 2002 |
| Pavel Nedvěd | Czechia | 2003 |
| Andriy Shevchenko | Ukraine | 2004 |
| Ronaldinho | Brazil | 2005 |
| Fabio Cannavaro | Italy | 2006 |
| Kaká | Brazil | 2007 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 2008 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 2009 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 2010 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 2011 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 2012 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 2013 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 2014 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 2015 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 2016 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 2017 |
| Luka Modric | Croatia | 2018 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 2019 |
| Not awarded | —— | 2020 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 2021 |
| Karim Benzema | France | 2022 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 2023 |
| Rodri | Spain | 2024 |
The Significance of the Ballon d’Or
The Suárez who won the Ballon d’Or is not the same as the one we know from the legendary MSN trio – the Ballon d’Or winner is a Spanish legend, while the MSN Suárez is the Uruguayan icon.
Rodri’s victory in 2024 adds another chapter to the long and storied history of the Ballon d’Or, further cementing his status as one of the best midfielders in the world today. Over the decades, the award has remained one of the most prestigious honors in football, celebrating the brilliance of individual players while contributing to the legacy of the sport.
For more details on the Ballon d’Or history and latest updates, visit France Football’s official website.
