Ballon d'Or Winners List: Check Names of Footballers Who Have Won Prestigious Award By France Football
With the 68th edition of the Ballon d’Or to be awarded on October 29, here is the list of Ballon d’Or winners of previous editions with their nationality and clubs they were playing for at the time.
Ballon d’Or, an accolade highlighting a footballer’s impactful performance in the given calendar year is one of the most prestigious awards in the sport. The winner of the Ballon d’Or award is seen as the Best player of that year. Created by France Football magazine, the Ballon d’Or has been awarded since 1956. It is voted for by journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA rankings. Each journalist, one per country, selects 10 players in ranked order, with points attributed to each position. Move Over Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo! New Generation of Football Stars Are Lining Up To Win Ballon d’Or 2024.
Lionel Messi is the current winner of the Ballon d’Or winning the award for a record eighth time. Cristiano Ronaldo is another multi-Ballon d’Or winner who won the title on five occasions. Apart from these two megastars, there are 43 different winners of the Ballon d’Or award. Check out the updated and complete Ballon d'Or Winners list below. 'Upset' Cristiano Ronaldo Abstains From Voting And Might Miss Ballon d'Or 2024 Ceremony, Claims Vincent Garcia.
Ballon d'Or Winners List
| Year | Winner | Nationality | Club (at the time) |
| 2023 | Lionel Messi (8) | Argentina | Inter Miami |
| 2022 | Karim Benzema | France | Real Madrid |
| 2021 | Lionel Messi (7) | Argentina | Paris Saint-Germain F.C. |
| 2020 | not awarded | ||
| 2019 | Lionel Messi (6) | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2018 | Luka Modric | Croatia | Real Madrid |
| 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo (5) | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo (4) | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2015 | Lionel Messi (5) | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo (3) | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo (2) | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2012 | Lionel Messi (4) | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2011 | Lionel Messi (3) | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2010 | Lionel Messi (2) | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2009 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo (1) | Portugal | Manchester United |
| 2007 | Kaká | Brazil | Milan |
| 2006 | Fabio Cannavaro | Italy | Real Madrid |
| 2005 | Ronaldinho | Brazil | Barcelona |
| 2004 | Andriy Shevchenko | Ukraine | Milan |
| 2003 | Pavel Nedvěd | Czechia | Juventus |
| 2002 | Ronaldo (2) | Brazil | Real Madrid |
| 2001 | Michael Owen | England | Liverpool |
| 2000 | Luís Figo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 1999 | Rivaldo | Brazil | Barcelona |
| 1998 | Zinedine Zidane | France | Juventus |
| 1997 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Internazionale |
| 1996 | Matthias Sammer | Germany | Borussia Dortmund |
| 1995 | George Weah | Liberia | Milan |
| 1994 | Hristo Stoichkov | Bulgaria | Barcelona |
| 1993 | Roberto Baggio | Italy | Juventus |
| 1992 | Marco van Basten (3) | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1991 | Jean-Pierre Papin | France | Marseille |
| 1990 | Lothar Matthäus | Germany | Internazionale |
| 1989 | Marco van Basten (2) | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1988 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1987 | Ruud Gullit | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1986 | Igor Belanov | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1985 | Michel Platini (3) | France | Juventus |
| 1984 | Michel Platini (2) | France | Juventus |
| 1983 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italy | Juventus |
| 1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (2) | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1979 | Kevin Keegan (2) | England | Hamburg |
| 1978 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburg |
| 1977 | Allan Simonsen | Denmark | Borussia Monchengladbach |
| 1976 | Franz Beckenbauer (2) | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1975 | Oleg Blokhin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1974 | Johan Cruyff (3) | Netherlands | Barcelona |
| 1973 | Johan Cruyff (2) | Netherlands | Barcelona |
| 1972 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1971 | Johan Cruff | Netherlands | Ajax |
| 1970 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1969 | Gianni Rivera | Italy | Milan |
| 1968 | George Best | Northern Ireland | Manchester United |
| 1967 | Flórián Albert | Hungary | Ferencv rosi TC |
| 1966 | Bobby Charlton | England | Manchester United |
| 1965 | Eusebio | Portugal | Benfica |
| 1964 | Denis Law | Scotland | Manchester United |
| 1963 | Lev Yashin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Moscow |
| 1962 | Josef Masopust | Czechoslovakia | Dukla Prague |
| 1961 | Omar Sívori | Italy | Juventus |
| 1960 | Luis Suárez | Spain | Barcelona |
| 1959 | Alfredo Di Stefano (2) | Argentina / Spain | Real Madrid |
| 1958 | Raymond Kopa | France | Real Madrid |
| 1957 | Alfredo Di Stefano | Argentina / Spain | Real Madrid |
| 1956 | Stanley Matthews | England | Blackpool |
The race for the Ballon d’Or has always been very intriguing with multiple stars shining for their respective club and National teams in various competitions. Ballon d’Or winners also receive high market values and usually are the face of their teams. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have 13 Ballon d’Or awards between them in the last 16 years and is seen as the greatest ‘healthy’ rivalry in football.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 28, 2024 12:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).