Ballon d'Or: Ranking the 5 youngest winners in history

Football

Ukrainian and Dynamo Kyiv legend Oleg Blokhin won the 1975 Ballon d'Or for his stellar exploits that year, beating Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cryuff. In the process, Blokhin became only the second player from the erstwhile Soviet Union to bag the prestigious award, emulating the legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin, who won the 1963 Ballon d'Or.

Oleg Blokhin (1975) 23 years, 55 days

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IMAGE CREDITS: FIFA TWITTER

That year, Blokhin helped Dynamo Kyiv win the inaugural Cup Winners Cup and then scored all three goals in the two-legged UEFA Super Cup against Bayern Munich. During his legendary career, the winger scored 59 goals in over 200 appearances for Dynamo Kyiv. He also scored 35 goals in 101 games for the Soviet Union before retiring in 1990.

George Best became the youngest-ever winner of the Ballon d'Or award when he bagged it in 1968. Best was bestowed with the honour after he helped Manchester United win the European Cup that year by beating Benfica 4-1 in the final. The Northern Irishman scored 32 goals in all competitions in 1967-68 to help United win their first European title.

George Best (1968) 22 years, 212 days

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IMAGE CREDITS: MANCHESTER UNITED TWITTER

However, after the highs of that summer, Best's promising career hit a downward spiral, especially after he left Manchester United in 1974. He breathed his last in 2005 after years of struggling with alcoholism. Best scored 179 goals in over 400 matches for United in all competitions, with the club honouring their former player by erecting a statue of him outside their Old Trafford stadium.

Lionel Messi is the most successful player in the history of the Ballon d'Or. The diminutive Argentine has won the award on a record six occasions by winning the 2019 Ballon d'Or ten years after winning his first. After a stellar 2008-09 season for Barcelona, which saw the club win six titles, Messi was the odds-on favorite to land his first Ballon d'Or.

Lionel Messi (2009) 22 years, 157 days

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In a landslide victory, he beat Cristiano Ronaldo, by a whopping 240 votes to become one of the youngest Ballon d'Or winners. Messi scored 38 goals to help Barcelona win the continental treble of La Liga, Copa Del Rey, and the Champions League. The then 22-year-old also helped Barcelona win the Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup later that year.

In 2001, Michael Owen became the first Englishman in more than two decades to win the Ballon d'Or. Although Liverpool did not win the league title that year, Owen helped the Reds win the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup. The then 22-year-old scored 24 goals in all competitions in 2000-01.

Michael Owen (2001) 22 years, 4 days

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Three years after winning the Ballon d'Or, Owen moved to Spanish giants Real Madrid but endured a largely injury-plagued stint. The English striker returned to the Premier League to join Manchester United but never scaled the same heights as his Liverpool days again.

Ronaldo Nazario became the youngest player to win the Ballon d'Or when he bagged the prestigious honour after a stellar year in 1997. The Brazilian striker scored nearly 50 goals in his loan season with Barcelona. His goals helped the Catalan giants win the Cup Winners Cup and saw them miss out on the La Liga title by just two points.

Ronaldo Nazario (1997) 21 years, 95 days

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5 years later, Ronaldo would win his second Ballon d'Or, this time with Real Madrid. Despite an injury-plagued career, Ronaldo scored goals galore for club and country, winning two La Liga, Copa America, and FIFA World Cup titles. Almost two decades later, Ronaldo Nazario remains the only player to win the Ballon d'Or award before his 22nd birthday.