Ballon d'Or

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

Ballon d'Or
Previous: 69th Ballon d'Or 22 September 2025 (2025-09-22) Next: 70th Ballon d'Or 26 October 2026 (2026-10-26)
Ballon d'Or trophy
Awarded for	Excellence in football
Country	France
Presented by	France Football
First award	18 December 1956; 69 years ago (1956-12-18)
Currently held by	Ousmane Dembélé (1st win)
Most awards	Lionel Messi (8 awards)
Most nominations	Cristiano Ronaldo (18 nominations)
Website	ballondor.com
Related	Additional awards

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 also 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 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 specialized journalists, with one representative per country, from the top 100 in the latest FIFA Men's World Ranking would elect 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 has 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. Ousmane Dembélé is the current holder of the award, having won its 69th edition in 2025.

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. 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. Even after 2007, it was usually identified with and referred to by that name because of its origin as a European award, until it was merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year award cementing its new worldwide claim.Stanley Matthews of England was the inaugural winner of the award, and the oldest player to ever win it—at 41 years, 321 days old. 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;two years later, Ronaldo of Brazil became the first South American without a European citizenship to claim the award, and he is still the youngest winner ever at 21 years, 96 days old. The award became a global prize in 2007 with all professional footballers from clubs 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.

Lionel Messi holds the record for most Ballon d'Or wins with eight, while five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo earned the most nominations with eighteen. Messi is the only player to win the award with three clubs and also the only one to win it while playing outside Europe, as well as being the player with the most podiums, finishing in the top-three a record fourteen times, including eleven consecutive from 2007 to 2017. Three players have won the award three times each: Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten. With seven awards each, Dutch, German, and Portuguese players have won the second most Ballons d'Or, underneath Argentina and France in first with eight. Players from West Germany (1972, 1981) and the Netherlands (1988) occupied the top-three spots in a single year. West 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 (2009–2012, 2015, 2016) and Barcelona (2010) became the second club to occupy the top-three. The award shows a bias in favour of attacking players, and, over time, it has gone to a more exclusive set of leagues and clubs. 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. 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.

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, which was awarded to the world's best male player before FIFA and France Football decided not to continue the merging agreement. The recipients of the joint FIFA Ballon d'Or are considered as winners by both award organizations. 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. In 2020, Groupe Amaury, to which France Football belongs, decided that no award would be given for the year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on association football. The widespread public opinion is that the 2020 Ballon d'Or should have been awarded to Robert Lewandowski.

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. It was also decided that an international jury of specialized 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; the plebiscite had previously been open to all countries since 2007. UEFA co-organizes the Ballon d'Or gala since 2024, with France Football retaining the voting system and the Ballon d'Or name.

Criteria

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

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", criticizing its voting process, its bias in favour of attacking players, and the idea of systematically singling out an individual in a team sport.

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—at 41 years, 321 days old.

 

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 became the first South American to claim the award, and he is still the youngest winner ever at 21 years, 96 days old.

 

Ousmane Dembélé 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.

Player (X)

Denotes the number of times the player had won the award at that time (for players with multiple wins)

Ballon d'Or winners

Year	Rank	Player	Team	Points
Ballon d'Or (1956–2009)
1956	1st	Stanley Matthews	Blackpool	47
	2nd	Alfredo Di Stéfano	Real Madrid	44
	3rd	Raymond Kopa	Real Madrid	33
1957	1st	Alfredo Di Stéfano (1)	Real Madrid	72
	2nd	Billy Wright	Wolverhampton Wanderers	19
	3rd	Duncan Edwards	Manchester United	16
		Raymond Kopa	Real Madrid
1958	1st	Raymond Kopa	Real Madrid	71
	2nd	Helmut Rahn	Rot-Weiss Essen	40
	3rd	Just Fontaine	Reims	23
1959	1st	Alfredo Di Stéfano (2)	Real Madrid	80
	2nd	Raymond Kopa	Reims	42
	3rd	John Charles	Juventus	24
1960	1st	Luis Suárez	Barcelona	54
	2nd	Ferenc Puskás	Real Madrid	37
	3rd	Uwe Seeler	Hamburger SV	33
1961	1st	Omar Sívori	Juventus	46
	2nd	Luis Suárez	Inter Milan	40
	3rd	Johnny Haynes	Fulham	22
1962	1st	Josef Masopust	Dukla Prague	65
	2nd	Eusébio	Benfica	53
	3rd	Karl-Heinz Schnellinger	1. FC Köln	33
1963	1st	Lev Yashin	Dynamo Moscow	73
	2nd	Gianni Rivera	Milan	55
	3rd	Jimmy Greaves	Tottenham Hotspur	50
1964	1st	Denis Law	Manchester United	61
	2nd	Luis Suárez	Inter Milan	43
	3rd	Amancio	Real Madrid	38
1965	1st	Eusébio	Benfica	67
	2nd	Giacinto Facchetti	Inter Milan	59
	3rd	Luis Suárez	Inter Milan	45
1966	1st	Bobby Charlton	Manchester United	81
	2nd	Eusébio	Benfica	80
	3rd	Franz Beckenbauer	Bayern Munich	59
1967	1st	Flórián Albert	Ferencváros	68
	2nd	Bobby Charlton	Manchester United	40
	3rd	Jimmy Johnstone	Celtic	39
1968	1st	George Best	Manchester United	61
	2nd	Bobby Charlton	Manchester United	53
	3rd	Dragan Džajić	Red Star Belgrade	46
1969	1st	Gianni Rivera	Milan	83
	2nd	Gigi Riva	Cagliari	79
	3rd	Gerd Müller	Bayern Munich	38
1970	1st	Gerd Müller	Bayern Munich	77
	2nd	Bobby Moore	West Ham United	70
	3rd	Gigi Riva	Cagliari	65
1971	1st	Johan Cruyff (1)	Ajax	116
	2nd	Sandro Mazzola	Inter Milan	57
	3rd	George Best	Manchester United	56
1972	1st	Franz Beckenbauer (1)	Bayern Munich	81
	2nd	Gerd Müller	Bayern Munich	79
		Günter Netzer	Borussia Mönchengladbach
1973	1st	Johan Cruyff (2)	Barcelona	96
	2nd	Dino Zoff	Juventus	47
	3rd	Gerd Müller	Bayern Munich	44
1974	1st	Johan Cruyff (3)	Barcelona	116
	2nd	Franz Beckenbauer	Bayern Munich	105
	3rd	Kazimierz Deyna	Legia Warsaw	35
1975	1st	Oleg Blokhin	Dynamo Kyiv	122
	2nd	Franz Beckenbauer	Bayern Munich	42
	3rd	Johan Cruyff	Barcelona	27
1976	1st	Franz Beckenbauer (2)	Bayern Munich	91
	2nd	Rob Rensenbrink	Anderlecht	75
	3rd	Ivo Viktor	Dukla Prague	52
1977	1st	Allan Simonsen	Borussia Mönchengladbach	74
	2nd	Kevin Keegan	Hamburger SV	71
	3rd	Michel Platini	Nancy	70
1978	1st	Kevin Keegan (1)	Hamburger SV	87
	2nd	Hans Krankl	Barcelona	81
	3rd	Rob Rensenbrink	Anderlecht	50
1979	1st	Kevin Keegan (2)	Hamburger SV	118
	2nd	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	Bayern Munich	52
	3rd	Ruud Krol	Ajax	41
1980	1st	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1)	Bayern Munich	122
	2nd	Bernd Schuster	Barcelona	34
	3rd	Michel Platini	Saint-Étienne	33
1981	1st	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (2)	Bayern Munich	106
	2nd	Paul Breitner	Bayern Munich	64
	3rd	Bernd Schuster	Barcelona	39
1982	1st	Paolo Rossi	Juventus	115
	2nd	Alain Giresse	Bordeaux	64
	3rd	Zbigniew Boniek	Juventus	39
1983	1st	Michel Platini (1)	Juventus	110
	2nd	Kenny Dalglish	Liverpool	26
	3rd	Allan Simonsen	Vejle	25
1984	1st	Michel Platini (2)	Juventus	110
	2nd	Jean Tigana	Bordeaux	57
	3rd	Preben Elkjær	Hellas Verona	48
1985	1st	Michel Platini (3)	Juventus	127
	2nd	Preben Elkjær	Hellas Verona	71
	3rd	Bernd Schuster	Barcelona	46
1986	1st	Igor Belanov	Dynamo Kyiv	84
	2nd	Gary Lineker	Barcelona	62
	3rd	Emilio Butragueño	Real Madrid	59
1987	1st	Ruud Gullit	Milan	106
	2nd	Paulo Futre	Atlético Madrid	91
	3rd	Emilio Butragueño	Real Madrid	61
1988	1st	Marco van Basten (1)	Milan	129
	2nd	Ruud Gullit	Milan	88
	3rd	Frank Rijkaard	Milan	45
1989	1st	Marco van Basten (2)	Milan	129
	2nd	Franco Baresi	Milan	80
	3rd	Frank Rijkaard	Milan	43
1990	1st	Lothar Matthäus	Inter Milan	137
	2nd	Salvatore Schillaci	Juventus	84
	3rd	Andreas Brehme	Inter Milan	68
1991	1st	Jean-Pierre Papin	Marseille	141
	2nd	Dejan Savićević	Red Star Belgrade	42
		Darko Pančev	Red Star Belgrade
		Lothar Matthäus	Inter Milan
1992	1st	Marco van Basten (3)	Milan	98
	2nd	Hristo Stoichkov	Barcelona	80
	3rd	Dennis Bergkamp	Ajax	53
1993	1st	Roberto Baggio	Juventus	142
	2nd	Dennis Bergkamp	Inter Milan	83
	3rd	Eric Cantona	Manchester United	34
1994	1st	Hristo Stoichkov	Barcelona	210
	2nd	Roberto Baggio	Juventus	136
	3rd	Paolo Maldini	Milan	109
1995	1st	George Weah	Milan	144
	2nd	Jürgen Klinsmann	Bayern Munich	108
	3rd	Jari Litmanen	Ajax	67
1996	1st	Matthias Sammer	Borussia Dortmund	144
	2nd	Ronaldo	Barcelona	143
	3rd	Alan Shearer	Newcastle United	107
1997	1st	Ronaldo (1)	Inter Milan	222
	2nd	Predrag Mijatović	Real Madrid	68
	3rd	Zinedine Zidane	Juventus	63
1998	1st	Zinedine Zidane	Juventus	244
	2nd	Davor Šuker	Real Madrid	68
	3rd	Ronaldo	Inter Milan	66
1999	1st	Rivaldo	Barcelona	219
	2nd	David Beckham	Manchester United	154
	3rd	Andriy Shevchenko	Milan	64
2000	1st	Luís Figo	Real Madrid	197
	2nd	Zinedine Zidane	Juventus	181
	3rd	Andriy Shevchenko	Milan	85
2001	1st	Michael Owen	Liverpool	176
	2nd	Raúl	Real Madrid	140
	3rd	Oliver Kahn	Bayern Munich	114
2002	1st	Ronaldo (2)	Real Madrid	169
	2nd	Roberto Carlos	Real Madrid	145
	3rd	Oliver Kahn	Bayern Munich	110
2003	1st	Pavel Nedvěd	Juventus	190
	2nd	Thierry Henry	Arsenal	128
	3rd	Paolo Maldini	Milan	123
2004	1st	Andriy Shevchenko	Milan	175
	2nd	Deco	Barcelona	139
	3rd	Ronaldinho	Barcelona	133
2005	1st	Ronaldinho	Barcelona	225
	2nd	Frank Lampard	Chelsea	148
	3rd	Steven Gerrard	Liverpool	142
2006	1st	Fabio Cannavaro	Real Madrid	173
	2nd	Gianluigi Buffon	Juventus	124
	3rd	Thierry Henry	Arsenal	121
2007	1st	Kaká	Milan	444
	2nd	Cristiano Ronaldo	Manchester United	277
	3rd	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	255
2008	1st	Cristiano Ronaldo (1)	Manchester United	446
	2nd	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	281
	3rd	Fernando Torres	Liverpool	179
2009	1st	Lionel Messi (1)	Barcelona	473
	2nd	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	233
	3rd	Xavi	Barcelona	170
FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010–2015)
2010	1st	Lionel Messi (2)	Barcelona	22.65%
	2nd	Andrés Iniesta	Barcelona	17.36%
	3rd	Xavi	Barcelona	16.48%
2011	1st	Lionel Messi (3)	Barcelona	47.88%
	2nd	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	21.60%
	3rd	Xavi	Barcelona	9.23%
2012	1st	Lionel Messi (4)	Barcelona	41.60%
	2nd	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	23.68%
	3rd	Andrés Iniesta	Barcelona	10.91%
2013	1st	Cristiano Ronaldo (2)	Real Madrid	27.99%
	2nd	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	24.72%
	3rd	Franck Ribéry	Bayern Munich	23.36%
2014	1st	Cristiano Ronaldo (3)	Real Madrid	37.66%
	2nd	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	15.76%
	3rd	Manuel Neuer	Bayern Munich	15.72%
2015	1st	Lionel Messi (5)	Barcelona	41.33%
	2nd	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	27.76%
	3rd	Neymar	Barcelona	7.86%
Ballon d'Or (2016–present)
2016	1st	Cristiano Ronaldo (4)	Real Madrid	745
	2nd	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	316
	3rd	Antoine Griezmann	Atlético Madrid	198
2017	1st	Cristiano Ronaldo (5)	Real Madrid	946
	2nd	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	670
	3rd	Neymar	Paris Saint-Germain	361
2018	1st	Luka Modrić	Real Madrid	753
	2nd	Cristiano Ronaldo	Juventus	476
	3rd	Antoine Griezmann	Atlético Madrid	414
2019	1st	Lionel Messi (6)	Barcelona	686
	2nd	Virgil van Dijk	Liverpool	679
	3rd	Cristiano Ronaldo	Juventus	476
2020	Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021	1st	Lionel Messi (7)	Paris Saint-Germain	613
	2nd	Robert Lewandowski	Bayern Munich	580
	3rd	Jorginho	Chelsea	460
2022	1st	Karim Benzema	Real Madrid	549
	2nd	Sadio Mané	Bayern Munich	193
	3rd	Kevin De Bruyne	Manchester City	175
2023	1st	Lionel Messi (8)	Inter Miami	462
	2nd	Erling Haaland	Manchester City	357
	3rd	Kylian Mbappé	Paris Saint-Germain	270
2024	1st	Rodri	Manchester City	1170
	2nd	Vinícius Júnior	Real Madrid	1129
	3rd	Jude Bellingham	Real Madrid	917
2025	1st	Ousmane Dembélé	Paris Saint-Germain	1380
	2nd	Lamine Yamal	Barcelona	1059
	3rd	Vitinha	Paris Saint-Germain	703

Notes

1. Attributed to multiple sources:

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.

 

Kevin Keegan won the award back-to-back in 1978 and 1979.

 

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.

Player	Winner	Second place	Third place
Lionel Messi	8 (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023)	5 (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)	1 (2007)
Cristiano Ronaldo	5 (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)	6 (2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018)	1 (2019)
Michel Platini	3 (1983, 1984, 1985)		2 (1977, 1980)
Johan Cruyff	3 (1971, 1973, 1974)		1 (1975)
Marco van Basten	3 (1988, 1989, 1992)
Franz Beckenbauer	2 (1972, 1976)	2 (1974, 1975)	1 (1966)
Ronaldo	2 (1997, 2002)	1 (1996)	1 (1998)
Alfredo Di Stéfano	2 (1957, 1959)	1 (1956)
Kevin Keegan	2 (1978, 1979)	1 (1977)
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	2 (1980, 1981)	1 (1979)
Luis Suárez	1 (1960)	2 (1961, 1964)	1 (1965)
Eusébio	1 (1965)	2 (1962, 1966)
Bobby Charlton	1 (1966)	2 (1967, 1968)
Raymond Kopa	1 (1958)	1 (1959)	2 (1956, 1957)
Gerd Müller	1 (1970)	1 (1972)	2 (1969, 1973)
Zinedine Zidane	1 (1998)	1 (2000)	1 (1997)
Gianni Rivera	1 (1969)	1 (1963)
Ruud Gullit	1 (1987)	1 (1988)
Lothar Matthäus	1 (1990)	1 (1991)
Roberto Baggio	1 (1993)	1 (1994)
Hristo Stoichkov	1 (1994)	1 (1992)
Andriy Shevchenko	1 (2004)		2 (1999, 2000)
George Best	1 (1968)		1 (1971)
Allan Simonsen	1 (1977)		1 (1983)
Ronaldinho	1 (2005)		1 (2004)
Stanley Matthews	1 (1956)
Omar Sívori	1 (1961)
Josef Masopust	1 (1962)
Lev Yashin	1 (1963)
Denis Law	1 (1964)
Flórián Albert	1 (1967)
Oleg Blokhin	1 (1975)
Paolo Rossi	1 (1982)
Igor Belanov	1 (1986)
Jean-Pierre Papin	1 (1991)
George Weah	1 (1995)
Matthias Sammer	1 (1996)
Rivaldo	1 (1999)
Luís Figo	1 (2000)
Michael Owen	1 (2001)
Pavel Nedvěd	1 (2003)
Fabio Cannavaro	1 (2006)
Kaká	1 (2007)
Luka Modrić	1 (2018)
Karim Benzema	1 (2022)
Rodri	1 (2024)
Ousmane Dembélé	1 (2025)

Wins by country

 

Ballon d'Or winners (left to right) Andriy Shevchenko, Oleg Blokhin, and Igor Belanov.

Country	Players	Wins
France	6	8
Argentina	1	8
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
Real Madrid	8	12
Barcelona	6	12
Juventus	6	8
Milan	6	8
Bayern Munich	3	5
Manchester United	4	4
Dynamo Kyiv	2	2
Inter Milan	2	2
Paris Saint-Germain	2	2
Hamburger SV	1	2
Ajax	1	1
Benfica	1	1
Blackpool	1	1
Borussia Dortmund	1	1
Borussia Mönchengladbach	1	1
Dukla Prague	1	1
Dynamo Moscow	1	1
Ferencváros	1	1
Inter Miami	1	1
Liverpool	1	1
Manchester City	1	1
Marseille	1	1

Additional awards

Seasonal awards

 

Aitana Bonmatí won the Ballon d'Or Féminin a record three times and in consecutive years, from 2023 to 2025.

In addition to the Ballon d'Or award, France Football has introduced several complementary honours over the years to recognize excellence across different aspects of the game.

Ballon d'Or seasonal awards

Award	First awarded	Description
Ballon d'Or Féminin	2018	Awarded to the female player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.
Kopa Trophy	2018	Awarded to the best performing player under the age of 21; since 2025, also awarded in women's football.
Yashin Trophy	2019	Awarded to the best goalkeeper of the season; since 2025, also awarded in women's football.
Gerd Müller Trophy	2021	Awarded to the highest-scoring player across club and international competitions over the season; originally introduced as Striker of the Year.
Club of the Year	2021	Awarded to the best performing club of the season, based on collective achievements; since 2023, also awarded in women's football.
Sócrates Award	2022	Awarded to footballers for outstanding humanitarian and social contributions off the pitch.
Johan Cruyff Trophy	2024	Awarded to the best coach of the season; includes men's and women's categories.

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.

In addition to its annual awards, the Ballon d'Or has also been associated with a number of special and honorary distinctions, introduced on specific occasions to commemorate milestones, recognize all-time greatness, or address historical limitations of the award.

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, who was voted the best multiple-time Ballon d'Or winner ahead of Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini.

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

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. 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.

Football Player of the Century

Player	Pts	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
Pelé	122	17	5	4	2	1
Diego Maradona	65	3	6	5	5	1
Johan Cruyff	62	1	4	7	9	2
Alfredo Di Stéfano	44	4	3	3	1	1
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. 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. The original recipients, however, remain unchanged.

Le nouveau palmarès (internationalized reevaluation)

Year	Original winner	Alternative
1958	Raymond Kopa	Pelé
1959	Alfredo Di Stéfano	Pelé
1960	Luis Suárez	Pelé
1961	Omar Sívori	Pelé
1962	Josef Masopust	Garrincha
1963	Lev Yashin	Pelé
1964	Denis Law	Pelé
1970	Gerd Müller	Pelé
1978	Kevin Keegan	Mario Kempes
1986	Igor Belanov	Diego Maradona
1990	Lothar Matthäus	Diego Maradona
1994	Hristo Stoichkov	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. A second and a third team were also published.

Ballon d'Or Dream Team

Goalkeeper	Defenders	Midfielders	Forwards
First Team
Lev Yashin	Cafu   Franz Beckenbauer   Paolo Maldini	Xavi   Lothar Matthäus   Diego Maradona   Pelé	Lionel Messi   Ronaldo   Cristiano Ronaldo
Second Team
Gianluigi Buffon	Carlos Alberto   Franco Baresi   Roberto Carlos	Andrea Pirlo   Frank Rijkaard   Zinedine Zidane   Alfredo Di Stéfano	Garrincha   Johan Cruyff   Ronaldinho
Third Team
Manuel Neuer	Philipp Lahm   Sergio Ramos   Paul Breitner	Johan Neeskens   Didi   Michel Platini   Andrés Iniesta	George Best   Marco van Basten   Thierry Henry