Ballon d'Or 2012

The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious individual honor in football, awarded annually to the player with the best performance over the previous season. The award is a golden football trophy, which has a shiny, metallic surface with small panels and textures. The word ‘Ballon d’Or’ is also written on the trophy, which was first presented by French magazine France Football in 1956. The award was conceptualized by former French footballer and journalist Gabriel Hanot and former French journalist and author Jacques Ferran.

Originally, the award was called the European Footballer of the Year award, as it was only given to players from Europe. The Ballon d'Or was broadened in 1995 and included any players, regardless of their country of origin, who had played for European clubs. In 2007, the award expanded to include all professional football players, making it a worldwide award. Since 2024, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has been co-organizing the Ballon d'Or event with France Football retaining the Ballon d'Or name and the voting process.

Earlier, the Ballon d’Or award winner was chosen based on football journalists' votes, but in 2022, France Football changed the rules for the prestigious prize. The timing was changed so that the award would be based on a football season instead of the calendar year. It was also decided that a group of expert journalists (an international jury of specialized journalists), one from each of the top 100 countries in the latest FIFA Men's World Ranking, would vote to choose the winner.

Ballon d’Or History

Started in 1956, the Ballon d’Or award was temporarily combined with the FIFA World Player of the Year. From 2010 to 2015, the award was known as the FIFA Ballon d’Or. The merger of FIFA and Ballon d’Or ended in 2016. Until 2006, the winner of the Ballon d’Or was chosen based only on the voting by the football journalists. The head coaches and the captains of the national teams were given the right to vote for the award winner in 2007 before reverting to only journalists in 2016. In 2022, the rules were modified again, as discussed above.

Ballon d’Or Criteria

The international jury of specialized journalists considers three points every year to pick the Ballon d’Or winner. Individual performances and decisive and impressive character, team performances and accomplishments, and class and fair play are the three primary criteria.

Ballon d'Or Winners

As of May 2025, Lionel Messi has won the most Ballon d’Or awards with eight to his name. He won his first Ballon d’Or in 2009 with the latest being in 2023. He won four consecutive awards from 2009 to 2012. He is also the only player to win the award with three different clubs: six with Barcelona, one with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and one with Inter Miami.

On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo is the player with the most Ballon d’Or nominations with 18 to his name, as of May 2025. He has won the award five times in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017. Stanley Matthews, while playing for Blackpool, became the first player to win the Ballon d’Or award in 1956. Rodri, who represents Manchester City, is the current Ballon d’Or award holder, winning the prize in 2024.

List of Ballon d’Or Winners Every Year

• In 2020, no award was given due to COVID-19 pandemic

• The results also include the winner of the FIFA Ballon d’Or award from 2010 to 2015

Ballon d’Or Winners by Country

Ballon d’Or Winners by Club

Ballon d’Or Other Awards

Ballon d'Or Féminin

The Ballon d’or Feminin, started in 2018, is an award given to the best female player of the previous season.

Kopa Trophy

The Kopa Trophy, started in 2018, is awarded to the top-performing footballer under the age of 2. The award is named after former France attacking midfielder Raymond Kopa, the 1958 Ballon d'Or winner.

Yashin Trophy

The Yashin Trophy is given to the best goalkeeper of the previous season. The trophy is named after former Soviet Union goalkeeper and 1963 Ballon d'Or winner Lev Yashin.

Gerd Müller Trophy

The Gerd Muller Trophy is given to the player who scored the most goals in the previous season. Earlier, the award was known as the Striker of the Year award. But, after former West Germany striker Gerd Muller’s death in 2021, the award was named after him.

Sócrates Award

The Socrates Award recognizes footballers for their humanitarian work, named after former Brazil midfielder Sócrates.

Men’s and Women’s Club of the Year

The Men’s and Women’s Club of the Year awards are given to the clubs that performed the best in a calendar year.

Johan Cruyff Trophy

The Johan Cruyff Trophy, started in 2024, is given to the best coach of the year. The award is for both men’s and women’s coaches.

Super Ballon d’Or

In 1989, Alfredo Di Stéfano received an honorary prize known as the Super Ballon d'Or.

Football Player of the Century

After discussing with previous Ballon d'Or winners, France Football selected Pelé as the Football Player of the Century in 1999.

Ballon d’Or Dream Team

In December 2020, France Football released the Ballon d'Or Dream Team, an all-time team to honor the greatest football players in history.