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It is that time of the year - the biggest individual honour in football is about to be awarded, as the Ballon d'Or ceremony is scheduled to take place on 2nd December 2019. An annual award which honours football's best player for a calendar year, the Ballon d'Or has been given to the greatest of the greats since its inception in 1956. Coaches, captains of national team and journalists will be voting for their pick, and one man will stand tall and the end of it all.
This year, it is a certainty that either of Lionel Messi or Virgil van Dijk will lift the trophy. The Argentine is a record 5-time winner of the award, whereas the Dutch captain will be the second defender in over a decade to receive this honour, should he win. The battle is close, and the trophy could go either way.
Also read - 3 reasons why Virgil Van Dijk deserves to win the Ballon d'Or
Here, we take a look at the three countries who have housed the most winners of this prestigious trophy -
Note - Until 1995, only European players were awarded this trophy. Therefore, the likes of Pele, Diego Maradona, Garrincha etc. never officially received the award. As such, the representation of non-European countries is low on this list.
#3 France - 4 players, 6 victories
Netherlands' and Portugal's players have won the Ballon d'Or more times than French players (7, as compared to 6). However, France has seen more winners of this award, and therefore they make the list.
The legendary Raymond Kopa was the first French player to win the Ballon d'Or when he was honoured in 1958, which was the third year for the ceremony itself. The forward was a part of the legendary Real Madrid team which dominated Europe in the 1950s. He won the award only once.
Michel Platini is arguably one of the greatest players of all time, and he might just be the greatest French player of all - the attacking midfielder won the award three consecutive times from 1983 to 1985.
The next French international to win the award was Jean-Pierre Roger Guillaume Papin, who had a breakout year in 1991 wherein he was the best forward in the world. He is the only player to win this award while playing for a French club.
Last but not least, was Zinedine Zidane. He won the trophy once in 1998 and finished second once more.
#2 Italy - 5 players, 5 victories
Italy has had the same amount of winners as the number one country on this list, but their number of victories places them second on this list. There have been five winners from Italy, and each player has won the trophy once.
The first Italian player to win the Ballon d'Or was Omar Sivori in 1961. Sivori was a world-class forward who represented both Argentina and Italy on the national stage. The Argentine-born forward moved to Italy in 1957, and he was banned by his country to participate in the 1958 World Cup. He became a citizen of Italy after this debacle, and therefore his victory is credited to the European country.
In order, the other four Italians to win this award are - Gianni Rivera, Paolo Rossi, Roberto Baggio, and Fabio Cannavaro. Cannavaro's victory is unique, as he is the only defender apart from Franz Beckenbauer to win the award. He was also the last Italian to win the award when he received the honour in 2006 for playing a major role in Italy's World Cup victory this year.
#1 Germany - 5 winners, 7 victories
One of the most successful national teams in the history of football, Germany is also the country with the joint-most winners (and joint-most victories) in the history of the Ballon d'Or.
Legendary striker Gerd Muller was the first German international to win the award when he finished first in 1970. Franz Beckenbauer, who is widely considered as the greatest defender of all time, won the award twice. He is also the only defender to win the award more than once, and it seems unlikely that his record will be broken.
Karl-Heinz "Kalle" Rummenigge is the other German to win the award twice - he did so in 1980 and 1981, becoming one of the few players to retain his trophy. Lothar Matthaus and Matthias Sammer are the other two Germans to finish first in the race for Ballon d'Or, with the latter being the most recent winner in 1996.
