In 1960, Spanish midfield maestro Luis Suarez won the Ballon d’Or’s fifth-ever edition.
He became the first Spain-born player and third La Liga based footballer to claim the prize following Real Madrid forward Alfredo Di Stefano in 1957 and 1959 along with Los Blancos youngster Raymond Kopa in 1958.
Suarez was also the first midfielder to take home Europe’s most sought after individual trophy after the previous four Ballon d’Or accolades had been handed to forwards.
Nicknamed ‘El Arquitecto,’ Luis Suarez was a true Architect of modern thinking European football.
Success In Spain
In the spring of 1954, Luis Suárez joined La Liga club Barcelona, together with team-mate Dagoberto Moll for a reported fee totaling £200,000.
The Spaniard made his debut for the Catalans in May 1954 on what happened to be the day of his 19th birthday
Suarez was renowned for an elegant and fluid style of play. He helped revolutionise the inside forward role thanks to his skill on the ball, vision and incredible passing range.
Before his Ballon d’Or winning year, the Spanish midfielder had already enjoyed domestic success at Camp Nou. Barcelona won La Liga in 1958/59 and lifted the Copa del Generalísimo (now known as the Copa del Rey) in both 1957 and 1959.
Suarez was instrumental during the 1959/60 campaign as Barca secured their seventh league title. It was a stunning race as they finished level on points with runners-up Real Madrid and clinched the Championship on goal difference alone.
During the calendar year, Suarez proved a valuable asset for Spain too, playing seven times for his country and scoring three goals – including a precious strike vs England at Wembley.
His season would end in European glory and ultimately snatch this Ballon d’Or from the hands of all other rivals.
Conquering The Continent
Like many Ballon d’Or winners before him, Luis Suarez’s victory came largely as a result of eye-catching performances on the continent.
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a high-profile European competition that formed part of the footballing landscape between 1955 and 1971.
It is often considered the predecessor to the UEFA Cup which is now known as the UEFA Europa League.
Suarez had already seen success in the tournament with Barcelona winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1958. Taking place over two more years, the club once again triumphed by winning the competition in 1960.
In October of that year, Suárez scored a sensational goal following a solo run from the middle of the pitch as Barcelona defeated Zagreb 4-3 on aggregate.
The Spanish side beat Birmingham City during a two-legged final to win the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup for a second consecutive season.
Throughout seven campaigns at Camp Nou, Suárez played a total of 254 matches for Barcelona and scored 80 official goals.
He ended as a Ballon d’Or runner up in 1961 and 1964 with a third place finish in 1965.
Yet 1960 was the year that Luis Suarez built himself a lasting legacy as one of Europe’s great midfield stars.
1960 Ballon d’Or Top 20
| Rank | Name | Club(s) | Nationality | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luis Suárez | FC Barcelona | Spain | 54 |
| 2 | Ferenc Puskás | Real Madrid | Hungary | 37 |
| 3 | Uwe Seeler | Hamburger SV | West Germany | 33 |
| 4 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Real Madrid | Spain | 32 |
| 5 | Lev Yashin | Dynamo Moscow | Soviet Union | 28 |
| 6 | Raymond Kopa | Reims | France | 14 |
| 7 | John Charles | Juventus | Wales | 11 |
| Bobby Charlton | Manchester United | England | ||
| 9 | Omar Sívori | Juventus | Italy | 9 |
| Horst Szymaniak | Karlsruher SC | West Germany | ||
| 11 | Francisco Gento | Real Madrid | Spain | 8 |
| 12 | Borivoje Kostić | Red Star Belgrade | Yugoslavia | 7 |
| 13 | Joseph Ujlaki | RC Paris | France | 5 |
| 14 | Kurt Hamrin | Fiorentina | Sweden | 4 |
| Bobby Smith | Tottenham Hotspur | England | ||
| 16 | Luis del Sol | Real Betis/Real Madrid | Spain | 3 |
| Jimmy Greaves | Chelsea | England | ||
| Ivan Kolev | CDNA Sofia | Bulgaria | ||
| 19 | János Göröcs | Újpest | Hungary | 2 |
| Károly Sándor | MTK Budapest | Hungary | ||
| Dragoslav Šekularac | Red Star Belgrade | Yugoslavia | ||
| Agne Simonsson | Örgryte IS/Real Madrid | Sweden |
Trivia
Luis Suarez was manager of the Spanish senior national team at the 1990 World Cup where they got eliminated in the round of 16.
Despite scoring 47 goals in just 36 games across all competitions and lifting the 1960 European Cup – Ferenc Puskas would only finish the year as a Ballon d’Or runner-up.
Uwe Seeler was named 1960’s German Footballer of the Year having won their league championship and scoring 49 goals during the 1959/60 season!
