Most Ballon d’Or winners

Most Ballon d’Or winners, Ballon d’Or winners list since 2000, List of Ballon d’Or winners, What is Ballon d’Or? FIFA ballon d’Or history.

Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or a maximum of seven times. Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo has won five times. Mitchell Platini, Johan Cruyff, and Van Basten have won three times.

All three were Dutch footballers. Beckenbauer (Germany), Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain), and Ronaldo (Brazil) have won the Ballon d’Or twice.

What is Ballon d’Or?

The Ballon d’Or is a football award given annually by the French sports magazine France Football. This is one of the oldest prizes for individual football players. It is generally regarded as the most prestigious award for football players.

FIFA Ballon d’Or history

The award has been given since 1958. However, between 2010 and 2015, under an agreement with FIFA, it was temporarily merged with the FIFA Footballer of the Year award (established in 1991) and renamed the FIFA Ballon d’Or.

However, since the partnership ended in 2016, the award has been dubbed “Ballon d’Or”, and FIFA has returned to its own separate award for the best male player in FIFA.

The winners of the FIFA Ballon d’Or are considered winners by both FIFA and France Football Magazine. The award was planned by French sports writer-journalist Gabriel Hannon.

The Ballon d’Or French award is given to the male and female players who were considered the best performers throughout the previous year.

It was decided by a vote of football journalists from 1956 to 2006. Since 2007, national football team coaches and captains have also been given the right to vote.

Initially, the Ballon d’Or was awarded only to European footballers, and at the time it was known as the European Footballer of the Year award.

Players of any nationality who have been active in European clubs since 1995 will be eligible for the award. It became a world award in 2006 when all professional football players from around the world were included the award.

List of Ballon d’Or winners

Ballon d’Or (1958-2009)

1956 – Stanley Matthews (England).
1957 – Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain).
1958 – Raymond Copa (France).

1959 – Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain).
1960 – Luis Suarez (Spain)
1961 – Omar Sivori (Italy).

1962 – Joseph Masopust (Czech Republic).
1963 – Lev Yachin (ESSR).
1964 – Dennis Law (Scotland).
1965 – Eusebio (Portugal).

1966 – Bobby Charlton (England).
1967 – Florian Albert (Hungary).
1968 – George Best (Northern Ireland).
1969 – Gianni Rivera (Italy).

1970 – Gard Muller (Germany).

1971 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands).
1972 – Franz Beckenbauer (Germany).
1973 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands).

1974 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands).
1975 – Oleg Blockhine (URSS).
1976 – Franz Beckenbauer (Germany).

1977 – Alan Simonsen (Denmark).
1978 – Kevin Keegan (England).
1979 – Kevin Keegan (England).

1980 – Karl-Heinz Ruminynge (Germany).
1981 – Karl-Heinz Ruminynge (Germany).
1982 – Paolo Rossi (Italy).

1983 – Michel Platini (France).
1984 – Michel Platini (France).

1985 – Michel Platini (France).

1986 – Igor Belanov (USSR).
1987 – Ruud Gullit (Netherlands).
1988 – Marco van Basten (Netherlands).

1989 – Marco van Basten (Netherlands).
1990 – Lothar Mathews (Germany).
1991 – Jean-Pierre Papin (France).

1992 – Marco van Basten (Netherlands).
1993 – Roberto Baggio (Italy).
1994 – Risto Stoikov (Bulgaria).

1995 George Weah (Liberia).
1996 – Matthias Samir (Germany).
1997 – Ronaldo (Brazil).

1998 – Zinedine Zidane (France).
1999 – Rivaldo (Brazil).

Ballon d or winners list since 2000

2000 – Luis Figo (Portugal).
2001 – Michael Owen (England).
2002 – Ronaldo (Brazil).

2003 – Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic).
2004 – Andrei Shevchenko (Ukraine).
2005 – Ronaldinho (Brazil).

2006 – Fabio Cannavaro (Italy).
2007 – Kaka (Brazil).
2008 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal).
2009 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)

FIFA Ballon d’Or (2010-2015)

2010 – Lionel Messi (Argentina).
2011 – Lionel Messi (Argentina).
2012 – Lionel Messi (Argentina).

2013 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal).
2014 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal).
2015 – Lionel Messi (Argentina).

Ballon d’Or (2016-present)

2016 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal).
2017 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal).
2018 – Luka Modric (Croatia).

2019 – Lionel Messi (Argentina).
2020 – COVID-19 canceled due to epidemic.
2021 – Lionel Messi.