5 youngest Ballon d'Or winners in history

The Ballon d'Or is the biggest individual honour in club football and is handed out by France Football annually to the most exemplary performer of the calendar year. Since its inception in 1956, several players from different nationalities have picked up the prized accolade and as far as personal recognition goes in the game of football, the France Football showpiece is the pinnacle.

The winner is picked by a combination of votes from journalists, coaches and national team captains and the award has been a global prize since 2007 - meaning any active player in world football is eligible for the game. Lionel Messi became the first player in history to win the award for a record-breaking 6th time in 2019, beating Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk to the award.

Multiple long-standing records have been broken by the Argentine in his illustrious career, but one record he will not be able to break is become the youngest recipient of the award. That said, here are 5 of the youngest Ballon d'Or winners in the history of the sport.

#5 Oleg Blokhin (1975; 23 years, 1 month, 25 days)

Oleg Blokhin won the Ballon d'Or at the age of 22 for his exploits with Dinamo Kyiv at the time. Having spent the lion's share of his career with the Ukranian club, the Tzar, as he was nicknamed, went on to define a new era for Soviet footballers, as he broke numerous long-standing records on his way to being named European Football of the Year.

By winning the Ballon d'Or in 1975, he became the second-youngest recipient of the award at the time and till date, is only the only Ukranian to pick up the prized accolade. With 266 goals in his glittering 18-year spell at Dinamo Kyiv, Blokhin is the greatest player to have represented the club and tops the all-time charts for goals and appearances for the Ukranian outfit.

The legendary attacker has left his mark in the game and also had numerous stints as a manager and was most recently at the helm of Dinamo Kyiv in 2014. Blokhin is one of the greats of the game and won several titles in his professional career, but will feel like he should have made the switch to Real Madrid when the opportunity arose.

Los Blancos were reportedly desperate to land him in the 1970s and the attackers will feel like that was one that got away, despite retiring as an all-time great in 1990.

#4 George Best (1968; 22 years, 7 months, 2 days)

Widely regarded as one of the most naturally gifted footballers to ever grace the game, George Best won the Ballon d'Or aged 22 in 1968, as he spearheaded Manchester United to the European Cup with a 4-1 victory over Benfica in the final, with his crowning moment coming in extra time has his mazy run through the defence resulted in a crucial goal late in the game.

Known for his showmanship, flair, and extravagant lifestyle, Best was the poster boy of his generation and was one of the first players to become football celebrities. Best not only won the award in 1968, he did so in incredible circumstances, as he beat Franz Beckenbauer, Dragan Dzajic and teammate Bobby Charlton to the award.

Best's emergence began a new era for Manchester United, something they desperately needed after the Munich Air Disaster in 1958 had tragically killed 8 first team players just 10 years prior to their historic European Cup triumph. The Northern Irishman suffered from alcoholism throughout his life and officially succumbed to it in 2005 aged 59. Best, alongside Denis Law and Sir Bobby Charlton, are honoured by Manchester United for their exemplary contributions to the club with a statue outside Old Trafford, which was unveiled in 2008.

#3 Lionel Messi (2009; 22 years, 5 months, 7 days)

What would a list like this be without Lionel Messi? In fact, how different would the game of football be without the diminutive Argentinian? In 2009, Messi won the first of his 6 Ballons d'Or by a then record-breaking margin of 240 votes over 2008 winner Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 2008-09 season was historic for Barcelona, Messi and manager Pep Guardiola, as the Catalan club's brand of football and swagger is still viewed as the gold standard in what was an era of dominance.

Messi spearheaded the Blaugrana to the Treble and he did so by scoring 38 goals across all competitions as a 22-year-old. Barcelona would win a further 2 league titles, 1 Copa del Rey and another UEFA Champions League crown under Guardiola with Messi playing a pivotal role in each of those triumphs, as he won 3 successive Ballons d'Or between 2009 and 2011.

The Argentine is widely regarded as the greatest player to grace the game and is set to leave a lasting legacy upon retirement. His tally of winning the prized accolade 6 times is already a record and the fact that he is still going strong at the age of 32 means you wouldn't put it past him to win it once again in the near future.

#2 Michael Owen (2001; 22 years, 4 days)

Michael Owen in 2001 won the award as Liverpool player, as the former England international spearheaded the Reds to FA Cup and UEFA Cup triumphs. Known as one of the most natural finishers in the game at the time, Owen was tearing defences apart despite being just 21 years of age and was regarded as the best player in a generation involving Paul Scholes, David Beckham and Robbie Fowler.

The fact that Owen won back to back Premier League Golden Boots between 1997 and 1999 as a teenager in a competition that boasted the best strikers in the world at the time is the most startling yet of his outrageous talent. After winning the Ballon d'Or in 2001, Owen secured a move to Real Madrid in 2004 and his career never reached the highs of his time at Merseyside once again, as he was ravaged by injuries since leaving the Reds.

While his move to Manchester United left a sour taste amongst the Liverpool faithful, the transfer turned out to be an unwavering success, as he won the Premier League title with the Red Devils, with his crowning moment arriving against arch-rivals Manchester City as he scored a stoppage-time winner.

Owen is one of England's most naturally gifted players of all time and is currently Liverpool's club ambassador despite plying his trade for Manchester United, much to the dismay of a certain section of the Liverpool fans.

#1 Ronaldo 'El Fenomeno' Nazario (1997; 21 years, 3 months, 5 days)

The great Ronaldo Nazario, despite being plagued by injuries throughout his career, is one of the greatest players to have graced the game and etched his name in football history by becoming the youngest recipient of the Ballon d'Or in 1997, at the age of 21.

Having scored goals for fun with PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie, Barcelona took notice of his talent and immediately made a move for him, as he joined the Catalan club for a then world-record fee of $19.5 million. Dubbed as the most naturally talented player to ever set foot on a football pitch by his peers, Ronaldo broke multiple long-standing records in his solitary season at Barcelona, where he was in peak physical condition and played the best football of his career.

Having spearheaded Barcelona to the UEFA Cup winners cup, the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey with a staggering tally of 37 goals in 34 appearances, El Fenomeno won the Ballon d'Or in 1997 just 3 months after his 21st birthday.

While Inter Milan's $27 million capture of the striker made him the first player to break the world record transfer fee twice after Diego Maradona, Ronaldo's career went on a downward spiral since then, as injuries hampered his road to greatness. Despite his recurring problems, he still retired with 2 Ballons d'Or, 2 FIFA World Cups and numerous other accolades, cementing his status one of the greats of the game.

Edited by Vishal Subramanian