In 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo won his first-ever Ballon d’Or. It would mark the beginning of a 10-year dominance between himself and Lionel Messi for the award which eventually led to an intense professional rivalry that drove them both to the …
2008 Ballon d’Or Winner: Cristiano Ronaldo. The Birth Of A Goal Machine Read More »
Pavel Nedved may be the most controversial Ballon d’Or winner of all-time. His 2003 victory made him only the second Czech player to win FIFA’s top individual award after Dukla Pragues’s Josef Masopust in 1962. Nedved’s success story wasn’t a …
2003 Ballon d’Or Winner: Pavel Nedved, The World’s Best Ordinary Player Read More »
Lionel Messi’s 2011 Ballon d’Or win was his third in a row. The Argentine equalled Johan Cruyff’s three wins (1971, 1973, 1974) and drew level with Michel Platini’s trio of consecutive successes between 1983 and 1985. Year after year he …
2011 Ballon d’Or Winner: Lionel Messi. The Jewel In Guardiola’s Crown Read More »
Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2014 Ballon d’Or win was simply a runaway victory. But in reality, the award should have been hotly contested with an alternate winner named. Before the tournament, Ronaldo was the clear favourite, at odds of 1/6 against. In …
Lionel Messi’s 2015 Ballon d’Or win was one of the most impressive triumphs in recent memory. Undoubtedly the Argentine legend received this accolade for his epic performances and mesmerising displays. But it was the nature of victory that should be …
2015 Ballon d’Or Winner: Lionel Messi Remains A King Amongst Kings Read More »
In a year which was defined by shocks and giant killings (Greece’s Euro 2004 triumph and FC Porto winning the UCL spring to mind), the 2004 Ballon d’Or award went to Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko after his goals help AC …
Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2017 Ballon d’Or win would be his last after a year to remember. Even for an athlete of such elite fitness- at the age of 32 – Ronaldo was arguably passing his prime. Whilst his goalscoring numbers remained …
2017 Ballon d’Or Winner: The Champions League Specialist Read More »
In 2019, Lionel Messi claimed a record sixth Ballon d’Or of his career. Whilst the Argentine’s victory was far from unexpected – it sparked a debate about whether another player was more deserving. Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk came a close …
2019 Ballon d’Or Winner: Was Virgil Van Dijk Robbed? Read More »
Date: 17th October 2022 Location: Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris Presented By: France Football Hosted By: Sandy Heribert and Didier Drogba Winner: Karim Benzema The 2022 Ballon d’Or …
Zinedine Zidane won the Ballon d’Or. It’s no surprise and comfortably ranks as one of the Ballon d’Or’s least controversial winners. Zinedine Zidane needs little introduction in being one of the greatest midfielders to grace the game. Zidane was unmatched …
1998 Ballon d’Or Winner: Zinedine Zidane leads France to Glory Read More »
