Igor Belanov’s 1986 Ballon d’Or win remains only the third time in which a player from the Soviet Union has claimed Europe’s most illustrious individual prize. His victory joined that of Dynamo Kyiv forward Oleg Blokhin in 1975 and legendary Dynamo Moscow goalkeeper Lev Yashin twelve years earlier. Belanov’s Ballon d’Or success was perhaps a … Read more
It was the year that Ruud Gullit finally gained ultimate recognition as Europe’s finest talent. He became only the second Dutchman to win the accolade following Johan Cruyff’s trio of prizes in 1971, 1973 and 1974. Gullit’s rise was initially slow and steady. But within the space of two years leading up to his award, … Read more
Stanley Matthews won the first ever Ballon d’Or in 1956, being one of only four Englishman to lift the iconic accolade ahead of Denis Law (1964), George Best (1968) along with Kevin Keegan twice in 1978 and 1979. At the age of 41 years and ten months, Matthews remains the oldest winner of the prize, … Read more
The 1972 Ballon d’Or saw a trio of Germans vying for football’s ultimate individual prize. In the process, Franz Beckenbauer became only the second West German national and Bayern Munich player to win the trophy following Gerd Müller in 1970. He was also the first defender to claim the Ballon d’Or since its inception in … Read more
In 1988, Netherlands forward Marco van Basten won the first of his three Ballon d’Or titles. He became only the third Dutch international to claim the award after Johan Cruyff in 1971, 1973 and 1974 along with Ruud Gullit the previous calendar year in 1987. Gullit claimed second place this time around with his international … Read more
Gerd Muller is undoubtedly one of the greatest strikers in the history of football. The forward currently sits eighth on a list of the game’s all-time top scorers with 634 goals across his seventeen-year career. And 1970 was no exception. Muller became the first West German and first Bayern Munich player to win the Ballon … Read more
In 1958, Real Madrid forward Raymond Kopa was awarded the Ballon d’Or. He became the first French player to win the accolade with no other claiming the prize until fellow countryman Michel Platini in 1983. Kopa was the second Real Madrid star to lift the Ballon d’Or after Alfredo Di Stefano, with players from the … Read more
After an incredible 1980 season, that was twice as good as his best season prior to his first Ballon d’Or, he’d go on to improve even further. After 5 seasons of establishing himself, and gradually progressing, Rummenigge had hit his stride. The 1980 season that earned him a first Ballon d’Or saw him score 26 … Read more
Paolo Rossi’s 1982 Ballon d’Or win is a story of one man who overcame adversity and against all odds rose to the very top of world football. He became only the third Italian to win the award after Juventus’ Omar Sívori in 1961 and AC Milan midfielder Gianni Rivera eight years later. The manner in … Read more
The legendary George Best is considered one of the greatest footballers the game has ever witnessed. In 1968, he became Northern Ireland’s first winner of the Ballon d’Or and third Manchester United player to claim the trophy following Denis Law in 1964 and Bobby Charlton two years later. Still only 23-years old, Best had already … Read more
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