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The Ballon d'Or is arguably the most prestigious individual accolade in the world of football. Since 1956, the annual award ceremony has honored the standout performer over the previous footballing year, adjudging the winner through votes from renowned personalities in the sport.
Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema won the 66th iteration of the award in Paris on Monday (October 17), becoming only the fifth Frenchman to win the award. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who have been the two most frequent winners of the accolade (12 combined wins), were nowhere close to securing a podium finish.
In the 21st century, only a handful of footballing clubs have supplied Ballon d'Or winners, with a couple of teams dominating the scene with an iron fist. Below, we will take a look at the aforementioned teams and three others that have enjoyed at least one Ballon d'Or win since January 2001. Now without further ado, let’s get to it.
Special note: Juventus and Liverpool have also won one Ballon d'Or winner each in the 21st century. Michael Owen won it for the Reds in 2001 while Pavel Nedved snagged it for the Bianconeri in 2003. Clubs who have won the award more recently have been given precedence.
#5 Paris Saint-Germain — 1 win
French giants Paris Saint-Germain’s first-ever Ballon d'Or win came in 2021, with Lionel Messi securing his seventh win mere months after joining the club as a free agent. PSG did not contribute to the Argentine’s win last year, as Messi won it on the merits of his Copa America win with Argentina and impressive performances for Barca.
Messi has started the 2022-23 campaign in blistering fashion, scoring eight goals and claiming eight assists in 14 games for the Parisians across competitions. If he can keep up his performances and guide PSG to their first Champions League win this season, he could once again return to the top of the podium. This time purely on the merits of his performances as a PSG player.
#4 Manchester United — 1 win
Twenty-time English champions Manchester United have not been at their best lately, with them still struggling to find their identity after Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013. Before his retirement, however, the Red Devils were a force to be reckoned with. They dominated the title race, winning six league titles between 2001 and 2013, and won the Champions League in the 2007-08 season.
They also had an abundance of excellent players at their disposal, with one certain Cristiano Ronaldo leading the pack by example. The Portuguese, who won the Premier League and the Champions League with United in the 2007-08 season, bagged the Ballon d'Or in 2008. He went on to add four more to his tally down the road.
#3 AC Milan — 2 wins
Serie A holders AC Milan have lost a lot of their charm in the last decade, struggling to keep themselves relevant in the Champions League. The story was quite different in the opening decade of the 21st century. They won a couple of Champions League trophies, were a staple in the Serie A race, and had some exceptional footballers at their disposal, including two Ballon d'Or winners.
Legendary Ukrainian forward Andriy Shevchenko was the first to win the award for Milan in the 21st century, with him coming out on top in 2004. Three years later, one of the most gifted footballers of all time, Kaka won the award after helping Milan to Champions League glory in the 2006-07 season.
#2 Barcelona — 7 wins
La Liga giants Barcelona have won a staggering seven Ballons d'Or in the 21st century, interestingly coming from only two players.
World Cup-winning Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho won Barcelona’s first Ballon d'Or in the 21st century when he was dubbed the best in 2005. Four years later, then-22-year-old Lionel Messi joined the party, winning the award on the back of a treble-winning campaign with the Catalans. The Argentine went on to add three more Ballons d'Or two his tally over the next three consecutive seasons, dwarfing Ronaldo’s triumph in 2008.
After seeing his rival enjoy a couple of brilliant seasons, Messi deservedly returned to the top of the podium in 2015. He received the award after taking Barca to their second treble in the 2014-15 season. Barcelona’s final Ballon d'Or win came in 2019, with Messi surpassing Ronaldo’s tally of five Ballons d’Or and bagging his sixth.
#1 Real Madrid — 8 wins
Real Madrid, the most successful club in Europe, have enjoyed a whopping eight Ballon d'Or wins in the 21st century, more than any other club in the world. Impressively, they have had five unique winners over that stretch.
Brazilian legend Ronaldo was the first Real Madrid player to win the accolade in 2002. Four years later, Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro lifted the award, becoming the only defender to bag it in the 21st century.
The magnificent Cristiano Ronaldo entered the scene in 2013 and defended his crown in 2014. Messi got the better of him on the back of a treble-winning campaign in 2015, but the Portuguese bounced back with consecutive wins in 2016 and 2017.
A year later, Luka Modric became the first central midfielder to win the Ballon d'Or in the 21st century. Finally, on Monday, Benzema took home the Golden Ball on the back of a remarkable Champions League, La Liga, and Spanish Super Cup-winning campaign in the 2021-22 season.
The 34-year-old Los Blancos skipper became the oldest first-time winner since 41-year-old Stanley Matthews won the inaugurating edition of the award in 1956.
