The Ballon d'Or is a football award that is presented annually by France Football, a weekly football magazine. The individual award was first awarded in 1956. The Ballon d'Or is awarded to the male footballer with the best display of talent and best performance over the previous season. Football journalists vote for the nomination of the award.
The Ballon d'Or was merged with the FIFA Player of the Year honor in 2010 and was renamed as the FIFA Ballon d'Or. However, the agreement was nullified in 2016, and FIFA went on to make its own separate award known as The Best FIFA Football Awards.
Ballon d'Or Winners
In 2024, Manchester City midfielder Rodri won the Ballon d'Or award with Real Madrid trio Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, and Daniel Carvajal finishing second, third, and fourth respectively. As of May 2025, Lionel Messi has won the most Ballon d'Or awards with eight to his name, while Cristiano Ronaldo has five to his name. Stanley Matthews of was the first player to be awarded the Ballon d'Or awardin 1956. George Weah is the first non-European and only African player to receive the award.
| Player | Ballon d'Or Wins |
|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | 8 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 5 |
| Michel Platini | 3 |
| Johan Cruyff | 3 |
| Marco van Basten | 3 |
| Franz Beckenbauer | 2 |
| Ronaldo (Brazil) | 2 |
| Alfredo Di Stéfano | 2 |
| Kevin Keegan | 2 |
| Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | 2 |
| Luis Suárez | 1 |
| Eusébio | 1 |
| Bobby Charlton | 1 |
| Raymond Kopa | 1 |
| Gerd Müller | 1 |
| Zinedine Zidane | 1 |
| Gianni Rivera | 1 |
| Ruud Gullit | 1 |
| Lothar Matthäus | 1 |
| Roberto Baggio | 1 |
| Hristo Stoichkov | 1 |
| Andriy Shevchenko | 1 |
| George Best | 1 |
| Allan Simonsen | 1 |
| Ronaldinho | 1 |
| Stanley Matthews | 1 |
| Omar Sívori | 1 |
| Josef Masopust | 1 |
| Lev Yashin | 1 |
| Denis Law | 1 |
| Flórián Albert | 1 |
| Oleg Blokhin | 1 |
| Paolo Rossi | 1 |
| Igor Belanov | 1 |
| Jean-Pierre Papin | 1 |
| George Weah | 1 |
| Matthias Sammer | 1 |
| Rivaldo | 1 |
| Luís Figo | 1 |
| Michael Owen | 1 |
| Pavel Nedvěd | 1 |
| Fabio Cannavaro | 1 |
| Kaká | 1 |
| Luka Modrić | 1 |
| Karim Benzema | 1 |
| Rodri | 1 |
Ballon d'Or Winners Year by Year
| Year | Player | Nationality | Club |
| 2024 | Rodri | Spain | Manchester City |
| 2023 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Inter Miami |
| 2022 | Karim Benzema | France | Real Madrid |
| 2021 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 2019 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2018 | Luka Modric | Croatia | Real Madrid |
| 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2015 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2012 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2011 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2010 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2009 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Manchester United |
| 2007 | Kaká | Brazil | Milan |
| 2006 | Fabio Cannavaro | Italy | Real Madrid |
| 2005 | Ronaldinho | Brazil | Barcelona |
| 2004 | Andriy Shevchenko | Ukraine | Milan |
| 2003 | Pavel Nedvěd | Czech Republic | Juventus |
| 2002 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Real Madrid |
| 2001 | Michael Owen | England | Liverpool |
| 2000 | Luís Figo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 1999 | Rivaldo | Brazil | Barcelona |
| 1998 | Zinedine Zidane | France | Juventus |
| 1997 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Internazionale |
| 1996 | Matthias Sammer | Germany | Borussia Dortmund |
| 1995 | George Weah | Liberia | Milan |
| 1994 | Hristo Stoichkov | Bulgaria | Barcelona |
| 1993 | Roberto Baggio | Italy | Juventus |
| 1992 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1991 | Jean-Pierre Papin | France | Marseille |
| 1990 | Lothar Matthäus | Germany | Internazionale |
| 1989 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1988 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1987 | Ruud Gullit | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1986 | Igor Belanov | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1985 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1984 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1983 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italy | Juventus |
| 1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1979 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburg |
| 1978 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburg |
| 1977 | Allan Simonsen | Denmark | Borussia M”nchengladbach |
| 1976 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1975 | Oleg Blokhin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1974 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Barcelona |
| 1973 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Barcelona |
| 1972 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1971 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Ajax |
| 1970 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1969 | Gianni Rivera | Italy | Milan |
| 1968 | George Best | Northern Ireland | Manchester United |
| 1967 | Flórián Albert | Hungary | Ferencvarosi TC |
| 1966 | Bobby Charlton | England | Manchester United |
| 1965 | Eusébio | Portugal | Benfica |
| 1964 | Denis Law | Scotland | Manchester United |
| 1963 | Lev Yashin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Moscow |
| 1962 | Josef Masopust | Czechoslovakia | Dukla Prague |
| 1961 | Omar Sívori | Italy | Juventus |
| 1960 | Luis Suárez | Spain | Barcelona |
| 1959 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain | Real Madrid |
| 1958 | Raymond Kopa | France | Real Madrid |
| 1957 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain | Real Madrid |
| 1956 | Stanley Matthews | England | Blackpool |
FAQs on Ballon d'Or
A. The 2020 Ballon d'Or was cancelled as the European football season was cut short due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A. Lionel Messi has won the most Ballon d'Or awards with eight to his name, as of May 2025.
A. Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or award five times, as of May 2025.
