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Ballon d'Or

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Ballon d'Or
An award consisting of a golden football
Ballon d'Or trophy
Presented byFrance Football
First awarded18 December 1956; 67 years ago (1956-12-18)
Currently held bySpain Rodri
(1st win)
Most awardsArgentina Lionel Messi
(8 awards)
Most nominationsPortugal Cristiano Ronaldo
(18 nominations)
Websitefrancefootball.fr
RelatedAdditional awards
← 2024 · Ballon d'Or · 2025 →

The Ballon d'Or (French pronunciation: [balɔ̃ dɔʁ] ; lit.'Golden Ball') is an annual football award presented by French magazine France Football since 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.

Conceived by sports writers Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran, the Ballon d'Or was based exclusively on voting by football journalists up until 2006. Originally, it was awarded only to players from Europe and was widely known as the European Footballer of the Year award. In 1995, the Ballon d'Or was expanded to include all players of any origin that have been active at European clubs. The award became a global prize in 2007 with all professional footballers from around the world being eligible; additionally, coaches and captains of national teams were also given the right to vote, before reverting to just journalists in 2016.

Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year, and was known as the FIFA Ballon d'Or. That partnership ended in 2016, and the award reverted to the Ballon d'Or, while FIFA also reverted to its own separate annual award, The Best FIFA Men's Player. In 2022, France Football modified the rules for the Ballon d'Or. The timing was changed so that awards were given not for achievements during a calendar year, but for a football season, and it was also determined that an international jury of specialised journalists, with one representative per country, from the top 100 in the latest FIFA Men's World Ranking would determine the winner of the award. UEFA co-organizes the Ballon d'Or gala since 2024, with France Football retaining the voting system and the Ballon d'Or name.

Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or a record eight times, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five. Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten each won the award three times, while Alfredo Di Stéfano, Franz Beckenbauer, Kevin Keegan, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Ronaldo have each won it twice. Rodri is the current holder of the award, having won its most recent edition in 2024.

Overview

Gianni Rivera hoisting the 1969 Ballon d'Or.

The Ballon d'Or is widely regarded as football's most prestigious and valuable individual award.[1][2][3][4] Stanley Matthews of England was the inaugural winner of the award.[5][6] Prior to 2007, it was based exclusively on voting by football journalists and was generally known as the continental European Footballer of the Year award in English language and much international media.[7][8] Even after 2007, it was usually identified with and referred to by that name because of its origin as a European award,[9][10] until it was merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year award cementing its new worldwide claim.[11][12] Liberia's George Weah, the only African recipient, became the first non-European to win the award in 1995, the year that rules of eligibility were changed and the Ballon d'Or was expanded to include all players of any origin, active at European clubs;[13][14] two years later, Ronaldo of Brazil became the first South American to claim the award,[13] and he is still the youngest winner ever at 21 years and 96 days old.[15] The award became a global prize in 2007 with all professional footballers from clubs around the world being eligible;[16] additionally, coaches and captains of national teams were also given the right to vote,[8][15] before reverting to just journalists in 2016.[17]

Lionel Messi holds the record for most Ballon d'Or wins with eight,[4][18] while five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo earned the most nominations with eighteen.[19] Messi is the only player to win the award with three different teams and also the only one to win it while playing outside Europe,[20][21] as well as being the player with the most podiums, finishing in the top-three a record fourteen times.[4] Three players have won the award three times each: Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten.[5][19] With seven awards each, Dutch, German, Portuguese and French players have won the second most Ballons d'Or, underneath Argentina in first with eight.[14] Players from Germany (1972, 1981) and the Netherlands (1988) occupied the top-three spots in a single year. German (1972) and Italian (1988–1990) clubs achieved the same feat, including two individual years dominated by Milan players (1988, 1989), a unique record until Spanish clubs experienced an unprecedented dominance (20092012, 2015, 2016) and Barcelona (2010) became the second club to occupy the top-three.[18] The award shows a bias in favour of attacking players,[22] and, over time, it has gone to a more exclusive set of leagues and clubs.[8] Prior to 1995, ten leagues supplied Ballon d'Or winners, whereas only England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United States have supplied winners since then.[8][23] Spain's La Liga has the most Ballon d'Or winners overall, with twenty-four wins shared between Barcelona and Real Madrid; with twelve wins each, the two Spanish clubs also lead the overall club ranking for producing the most winners.[23][24]

Between 2010 and 2015 inclusive, the award was merged with a similar one, the FIFA World Player of the Year award, to create the FIFA Ballon d'Or,[25] which was awarded to the world's best male player before FIFA and France Football decided not to continue the merging agreement.[2][15] The recipients of the joint FIFA Ballon d'Or are considered as winners by both award organizations.[8][26][27] After 2011, UEFA created the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award to maintain the tradition of the original Ballon d'Or of specifically honouring a football player from Europe.[28] In 2020, Groupe Amaury, to which France Football belongs,[29] decided that no award would be given for the year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on association football.[1][30] The widespread public opinion is that the 2020 Ballon d'Or should have been awarded to Robert Lewandowski.[31][32][33]

France Football modified the rules for the Ballon d'Or in 2022. They changed the timing so that awards were given not for achievements during a calendar year, but for a football season.[15][34] It was also decided that an international jury of specialised journalists, with one representative per country, from the top 100 in the latest FIFA Men's World Ranking would determine the winner of the award;[17][35] the plebiscite had previously been open to all countries since 2007.[15][34] UEFA co-organizes the Ballon d'Or gala since 2024, with France Football retaining the voting system and the Ballon d'Or name.[29][36]

Criteria

The Ballon d'Or is awarded based on three main criteria:[35]

1) Individual performances, decisive and impressive character;
2) Team performances and achievements;
3) Class and fair play.

Nevertheless, critics have occasionally described the award as a "popularity contest",[37][38] criticizing its voting process,[17] its bias in favour of attacking players,[22] and the idea of systematically singling out an individual in a team sport.[39][40]

Winners

Lionel Messi won the most Ballons d'Or in history, with eight wins in three different decades. He is also the record holder for most consecutive wins, with four between 2009 and 2012.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been nominated for the Ballon d'Or a record eighteen times, and is a five-time winner.
Stanley Matthews was the inaugural recipient of the award, and the oldest player to ever win it.
Luis Suárez was the first midfielder to ever win the award.
Lev Yashin is the only goalkeeper to win the award.
Johan Cruyff was the first player to win the award three times.
Franz Beckenbauer is the only defender to win the award twice.
George Weah—the only African recipient—was the first non-European to win the award.
Two-time winner Ronaldo is the youngest player to ever win the award.
Rodri is the current award holder.

Note: Until 2021, the Ballon d'Or was awarded based on player performance during the calendar year. Since 2022, jurors have been instructed to take into account the previous season.[2][34]

Player (X) Denotes the number of times the player had won the award at that time (for players with multiple wins)
Notes
  1. ^ Born in Argentina, Di Stéfano acquired Spanish citizenship in 1956, thus becoming eligible for the award.
  2. ^ Kopa was signed by Real Madrid from Reims during 1956.
  3. ^ Kopa was signed by Reims from Real Madrid during 1959.
  4. ^ Born in Argentina, Sívori acquired Italian citizenship in 1961, thus becoming eligible for the award.
  5. ^ Suárez was signed by Inter Milan from Barcelona during 1961.
  6. ^ Cruyff was signed by Barcelona from Ajax during 1973.
  7. ^ Keegan was signed by Hamburger SV from Liverpool during 1977.
  8. ^ Krankl was signed by Barcelona from Rapid Wien during 1978.
  9. ^ Schuster was signed by Barcelona from 1. FC Köln during 1980.
  10. ^ Boniek was signed by Juventus from Widzew Łódź during 1982.
  11. ^ Simonsen was signed by Vejle from Charlton Athletic during 1983.
  12. ^ Elkjær was signed by Hellas Verona from Lokeren during 1984.
  13. ^ Lineker was signed by Barcelona from Everton during 1986.
  14. ^ Gullit was signed by AC Milan from PSV Eindhoven during 1987.
  15. ^ Futre was signed by Atlético Madrid from Porto during 1987.
  16. ^ Rijkaard was signed by AC Milan from Zaragoza during 1988.
  17. ^ Bergkamp was signed by Inter Milan from Ajax during 1993.
  18. ^ Weah was signed by AC Milan from Paris Saint-Germain during 1995.
  19. ^ Klinsmann was signed by Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur during 1995.
  20. ^ Ronaldo was signed by Barcelona from PSV Eindhoven during 1996.
  21. ^ Shearer was signed by Newcastle United from Blackburn Rovers during 1996.
  22. ^ Ronaldo was signed by Inter Milan from Barcelona during 1997.
  23. ^ Shevchenko was signed by AC Milan from Dynamo Kyiv during 1999.
  24. ^ Figo was signed by Real Madrid from Barcelona during 2000.
  25. ^ Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid from Inter Milan during 2002.
  26. ^ Deco was signed by Barcelona from Porto during 2004.
  27. ^ Cannavaro was signed by Real Madrid from Juventus during 2006.
  28. ^ Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid from Manchester United during 2009.
  29. ^ Neymar was signed by Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona during 2017.
  30. ^ Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by Juventus from Real Madrid during 2018.
  31. ^ Messi was signed by Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona during 2021.
  32. ^ Mané was signed by Bayern Munich from Liverpool during 2022.
  33. ^ Messi was signed by Inter Miami from Paris Saint-Germain during 2023.

Wins by player

Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Lionel Messi (right) won thirteen Ballon d'Or trophies between them from 2008 to 2023.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge won the award back-to-back in 1980 and 1981.
Michel Platini won the award three years running from 1983 to 1985.

Wins by country

Ballon d'Or winners (left to right) Andriy Shevchenko, Oleg Blokhin, and Igor Belanov.
Country Players Wins
 Argentina 1 8
 France 5 7
 Germany 5 7
 Netherlands 3 7
 Portugal 3 7
 Italy 5 5
 Brazil 4 5
 England 4 5
 Spain 3 4
 Soviet Union 3 3
 Bulgaria 1 1
 Croatia 1 1
 Czech Republic 1 1
 Czechoslovakia 1 1
 Denmark 1 1
 Hungary 1 1
 Liberia 1 1
 Northern Ireland 1 1
 Scotland 1 1
 Ukraine 1 1

Wins by club

One of Lionel Messi's awards—displayed at the FC Barcelona Museum.
Marco van Basten (left) and Ruud Gullit (right), teammates for Milan and the Netherlands, won in consecutive years from 1987 to 1989.
Club Players Wins
Spain Real Madrid 8 12
Spain Barcelona 6 12
Italy Juventus 6 8
Italy Milan 6 8
Germany Bayern Munich 3 5
England Manchester United 4 4
Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 2 2
Italy Inter Milan 2 2
Germany Hamburger SV 1 2
Netherlands Ajax 1 1
Portugal Benfica 1 1
England Blackpool 1 1
Germany Borussia Dortmund 1 1
Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 1 1
Czech Republic Dukla Prague 1 1
Russia Dynamo Moscow 1 1
Hungary Ferencváros 1 1
United States Inter Miami 1 1
England Liverpool 1 1
England Manchester City 1 1
France Marseille 1 1
France Paris Saint-Germain 1 1

Additional awards

Seasonal awards

Ballon d'Or Féminin

Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí have won the Ballon d'Or Féminin a record two times.

First awarded in 2018, the Ballon d'Or Féminin honours the female player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.[19][43]

Kopa Trophy

Kylian Mbappé was the inaugural winner of the Kopa Trophy.

Since 2018 France Football has given out the Kopa Trophy to the best performing player under the age of 21. The award is named after 1958 Ballon d'Or winner Raymond Kopa.[44]

Yashin Trophy

Emiliano Martínez won the Yashin Trophy a record two times.

First awarded in 2019, the Yashin Trophy is presented to the best goalkeeper of the season. The award is named after Soviet goalkeeper and 1963 Ballon d'Or winner Lev Yashin.[45]

Gerd Müller Trophy

Robert Lewandowski won the Gerd Müller Trophy back-to-back in 2021 and 2022.

In 2021, France Football awarded Robert Lewandowski with a Striker of the Year award for scoring the most goals the previous season.[46] Following Gerd Müller's death in 2021, the award was renamed for the 2022 edition to the Gerd Müller Trophy.[47]

Sócrates Award

Starting from 2022, France Football gives out the Sócrates Award, which acknowledges footballers for their humanitarian work.[48] The award is named after late Brazilian footballer Sócrates, who co-founded the Corinthians Democracy movement, in opposition to the ruling military dictatorship in Brazil during the 1980s.[49]

Men's Club of the Year

France Football first gave out the Men's Club of the Year award in 2021, with the inaugural winner being Chelsea.[50][51] Manchester City won back-to-back in 2022 and 2023,[52] while Real Madrid won the most recent edition in 2024.[53]

Women's Club of the Year

France Football first gave out the Women's Club of the Year award in 2023 and so 2024, and FC Barcelona Femení won it in both occasions.[54]

Men's Coach of the Year

France Football first presented the Men's Coach of the Year award in 2024,[29][36] with the inaugural winner being Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid.[55]

Women's Coach of the Year

France Football first presented the Women's Coach of the Year award in 2024,[29][36] with the inaugural recipient being Emma Hayes who managed both Chelsea and the United States national team.[55]

Special awards

Pelé was voted Football Player of the Century in 1999. He was also the recipient of the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur in 2013, and in 2020 he was selected to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team.
Diego Maradona was honoured with the Golden Ballon d'Or in 1995 and he was also selected to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team.

Super Ballon d'Or

Two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alfredo Di Stéfano was awarded the Super Ballon d'Or in 1989.

An honorary award, under the name Super Ballon d'Or, was awarded to Alfredo Di Stéfano in 1989,[17] who was voted the best multiple-time Ballon d'Or winner ahead of Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini.[56][57]

In addition Diego Maradona received an honorary Ballon d'Or in 1995 for his services to football dubbed the Golden Ballon d'Or.[17][56][58] Pelé also received a similar award during the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony dubbed the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur.[17][59]

Football Player of the Century

In 1999, France Football voted Pelé as the Football Player of the Century after consulting their former Ballon d'Or recipients.[17] Among the 34 previous winners, 30 cast their votes, while Stanley Matthews, Omar Sívori and George Best refused to vote, and Lev Yashin had died. Each voter was allotted five votes worth up to five points; however, Di Stéfano only chose a first place, Platini a first and second place, and George Weah two players for fifth place. Pelé was named the greatest by 17 voters, receiving almost double the number of points earned by the second place, Diego Maradona.[60]

Football Player of the Century
Player Pts 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
Brazil Pelé 122 17 5 4 2 1
Argentina Diego Maradona 65 3 6 5 5 1
Netherlands Johan Cruyff 62 1 4 7 9 2
Spain Alfredo Di Stéfano 44 4 3 3 1 1
France Michel Platini 40 1 5 1 3 6

Le nouveau palmarès

To coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Ballon d'Or in 2016, France Football published an internationalized reevaluation of the awards presented before 1995, when only European players were eligible to win the award.[17][58] 12 out of the 39 Ballons d'Or presented during this time period would have been awarded to South American players; in addition to Pelé—seven times—and Diego Maradona—twice—Garrincha, Mario Kempes, and Romário were retrospectively recognized as worthy winners.[58][61] The original recipients, however, remain unchanged.[3]

Le nouveau palmarès (internationalized reevaluation)
Year Original winner Alternative
1958 France Raymond Kopa Brazil Pelé
1959 Spain Alfredo Di Stéfano Brazil Pelé
1960 Spain Luis Suárez Brazil Pelé
1961 Italy Omar Sívori Brazil Pelé
1962 Czechoslovakia Josef Masopust Brazil Garrincha
1963 Soviet Union Lev Yashin Brazil Pelé
1964 Scotland Denis Law Brazil Pelé
1970 West Germany Gerd Müller Brazil Pelé
1978 England Kevin Keegan Argentina Mario Kempes
1986 Soviet Union Igor Belanov Argentina Diego Maradona
1990 Germany Lothar Matthäus Argentina Diego Maradona
1994 Bulgaria Hristo Stoichkov Brazil Romário

Ballon d'Or Dream Team

Paolo Maldini was one of the defenders named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team.

An all-time all-star team, the Ballon d'Or Dream Team, was published in December 2020 by France Football, honouring football's greatest players of all time.[62][63] A second and a third team were also published.[64]

Ballon d'Or Dream Team
Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards
First Team
Soviet Union Lev Yashin Brazil Cafu
West Germany Franz Beckenbauer
Italy Paolo Maldini
Spain Xavi
Germany Lothar Matthäus
Argentina Diego Maradona
Brazil Pelé
Argentina Lionel Messi
Brazil Ronaldo
Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo
Second Team
Italy Gianluigi Buffon Brazil Carlos Alberto
Italy Franco Baresi
Brazil Roberto Carlos
Italy Andrea Pirlo
Netherlands Frank Rijkaard
France Zinedine Zidane
Spain Alfredo Di Stéfano
Brazil Garrincha
Netherlands Johan Cruyff
Brazil Ronaldinho
Third Team
Germany Manuel Neuer Germany Philipp Lahm
Spain Sergio Ramos
Germany Paul Breitner
Netherlands Johan Neeskens
Brazil Didi
France Michel Platini
Spain Andrés Iniesta
Northern Ireland George Best
Netherlands Marco van Basten
France Thierry Henry

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