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Real Madrid is the second most successful club to win the Ballon d’Or trophy after FC Barcelona. 6 Real Madrid players have won it 10 times for the club making their trophy count just 1 short fo their archrivals Barcelona.
The most successful players to win the Ballon d’Or are Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, with both of them winning it 5 times. Cristiano Ronaldo, though doesn't represent Real Madrid anymore, can be considered as an all-time great in Real Madrid's history having won the Ballon d’Or 4 times with them.
But then, who were the other 5 players who had previously won the trophy 6 times for Los Blancos? That’s what we are here for.
A look at the 5 Real Madrid players apart from Cristiano Ronaldo who had won the coveted individual trophy.
#5 Alfredo Di Stéfano - 1957, 1959
Alfredo Di Stefano is one of the all-time football legends who dominated football in the 1950s. He represented Real Madrid from 1953 to 1964 making 282 appearances and scoring 216 goals. He also has a unique record of having played international matches for Spain, Argentina and Colombia.
Fans named him Saeta Rubia" ("Blond Arrow") for his prolific, tactful runs into the box. In the voting organised by France Football to select the Football player of the Century, he came fourth in the list behind Pele, Maradona and Johan Cruyff.
He also later managed Real Madrid post his retirement from playing career between 1982-1984 and is still considered as an absolute Real Madrid Legend. It is not surprising that Real Madrid Castilla: the reserve team of Real Madrid has their home ground named after Alfredo Di Stefano.
#4 Raymond Kopa - 1958
Raymond Kopa was also part of the legendary dream Real Madrid team of the 1950s along with Alfredo Di Stefano which had won 3 European cups. He was in the race to become the first Ballon d'Or winner in the year 1956 but lost out to Stanley Mathews by 3 points.
He came third in the race in 1957 when his Real Madrid teammate Alfredo Di Stefano won the trophy. In 1958, he was the clear winner of the Ballon d'Or and came second once again in 1959 when Alfredo Di Stefano lifted it again.
The consistency Raymond Kopa displayed during these years being among the top 3 nominees of Ballon d'Or was literally unmatched for years to come.
The French international made 79 appearances for Real Madrid scoring 24 goals between 1956 and 1959. He was also well known for his dribbling skills as a playmaker and was nicknamed "Little Napolean" by French Sports Newspaper.
#3 Luís Figo - 2000
After the golden years of the 1950s when the club had 3 Ballon d'Or winners, there was long duration when Real Madrid could not win the award for 4 long decades. The 2000 Ballon d'Or solved that desperation with the Portuguese legend winning it that year.
Luis Figo was bought by Real Madrid in 2000 for a record fee from Barcelona and literally stole the Ballon d'Or trophy with that transfer. He went on to represent 164 appearances for Real Madrid and scored 38 goals during that phase.
His playmaking abilities were second to none and are still revered by many as one of the best footballers to throng the field.
His transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid was one of the most controversial ones and the famous El Classico match at Camp Nou that followed with Figo in Real Madrid shirt would go down in the football history as one of the fiercest rivalry moments in football between Barcelona and Real Madrid.
#2 Ronaldo - 2002
Ronaldo was the second Non-European after George Weah to win Ballon d' Or. He was awarded two times - in 1997 and in 2002. In 1997, he had won it with Inter Milan and in 2002, he won it at Real Madrid. In 2002, he had to beat his Real Madrid teammate Roberto Carlos who came second in the race for Ballon d'Or.
Ronaldo joined the Real Madrid roster in the year 2002 and went on to make 127 appearances, scoring 83 goals. This was another time when Real Madrid grabbed a player from another club at the peak of his career and won the Ballon d'Or in the same year.
Ronaldo is presently the primary owner of the LaLiga Club Real Vallaloid and still believes in giving back to the football apart from being the UNDP Goodwill Ambassador.
# 1 Fabio Cannavaro - 2006
Fabio Cannavaro is one of the rare defenders who had won the Ballon d' Or trophy along the likes of Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer. He was signed by Real Madrid in the year 2006 at the peak of his career from Juventus for a significant fee and brought with him the Ballon d' Or trophy to Real Madrid the same year.
He represented Real Madrid 94 times, guarding the backline and was a trusted defender of the club during his tenure. Nicknamed "The Berlin Wall", he led the Italian National team to the World Cup victory in the year 2006 and won the Silver Ball trophy in the tournament.
Though he had his share of controversies of doping and tax evasion, Fabio Cannavaro was a worthy winner of the Ballon d' Or trophy.
Fabio Cannavaro later went into the managerial career primarily in the Chinese Super League and also had a stint with a Saudi Arabian club.
