The Ballon d’Or, which translates to “Golden Ball” in English, is one of the most prestigious individual awards in the world of football. It is presented annually to the best male football player (and female player as of 2018), as voted by a panel of international journalists. The award recognizes exceptional talent, skill, and performance, encapsulating the essence of excellence in the beautiful game.
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Ballon d’Or Winners – Full List
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1956 | Stanley Matthews |
| 1957 | Alfredo Di Stefano |
| 1958 | Raymond Kopa |
| 1959 | Alfredo Di Stefano |
| 1960 | Luis Suarez Miramontes |
| 1961 | Omar Sivori |
| 1962 | Josef Masopust |
| 1963 | Lev Yashin |
| 1964 | Denis Law |
| 1965 | Eusebio |
| 1966 | Bobby Charlton |
| 1967 | Florian Albert |
| 1968 | George Best |
| 1969 | Gianni Rivera |
| 1970 | Gerd Muller |
| 1971 | Johan Cruyff |
| 1972 | Franz Beckenbauer |
| 1973 | Johan Cruyff |
| 1974 | Johan Cruyff |
| 1975 | Oleg Blokhin |
| 1976 | Franz Beckenbauer |
| 1977 | Allan Simonsen |
| 1978 | Kevin Keegan |
| 1979 | Kevin Keegan |
| 1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge |
| 1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge |
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi |
| 1983 | Michel Platini |
| 1984 | Michel Platini |
| 1985 | Michel Platini |
| 1986 | Igor Belanov |
| 1987 | Ruud Gullit |
| 1988 | Marco van Basten |
| 1989 | Marco van Basten |
| 1990 | Lothar Matthaus |
| 1991 | Jean-Pierre Papin |
| 1992 | Marco van Basten |
| 1993 | Roberto Baggio |
| 1994 | Hristo Stoichkov |
| 1995 | George Weah |
| 1996 | Matthias Sammer |
| 1997 | Ronaldo |
| 1998 | Zinedine Zidane |
| 1999 | Rivaldo |
| 2000 | Luis Figo |
| 2001 | Michael Owen |
| 2002 | Ronaldo |
| 2003 | Pavel Nedved |
| 2004 | Andriy Shevchenko |
| 2005 | Ronaldinho |
| 2006 | Fabio Cannavaro |
| 2007 | Kaka |
| 2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2009 | Lionel Messi |
| 2010 | Lionel Messi |
| 2011 | Lionel Messi |
| 2012 | Lionel Messi |
| 2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2015 | Lionel Messi |
| 2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2018 | Luka Modric |
| 2019 | Lionel Messi |
| 2020 | Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021 | Lionel Messi |
| 2022 | Karim Benzema |
| 2023 | Lionel Messi |
Ballon d’Or Facts
- To date, 45 individual players have won the award.
- Lionel Messi holds the record for the most Ballon d’Or wins, having received the award seven times (as of 2022)
- The only goalkeeper to win the award is Lev Yashin in 1963.
- The oldest player to win the Ballon d’Or is Fabio Cannavaro. He received the award in 2006 at the age of 33
- The youngest player to win the Ballon d’Or is Ronaldo, the Brazilian forward, who won the award in 1997 at the age of 21.
