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#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.
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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.
