The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual award in football, presented annually by France Football since 1956. It recognizes the best footballer in the world based on their performances during the season. The award considers individual brilliance, team success, and fair play.
Initially, the award was limited to European players at European clubs but expanded in 1995 to include all players at European clubs and, in 2007, to players worldwide. Journalists from countries ranked in the top 100 by FIFA vote to determine the winner. Each voter ranks their top players, and points are awarded accordingly.
The Ballon d'Or wasn't awarded in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the assessment period shifted from a calendar year to a full football season (August to July). Since 2024, UEFA co-organizes the Ballon d'Or gala with France Football, which retains the voting system and award name.
Here is a list of Ballon d'Or winners from 1956 to 2024:
- 1956: Stanley Matthews (England)
- 1957: Alfredo Di Stéfano (Spain)
- 1958: Raymond Kopa (France)
- 1959: Alfredo Di Stéfano (Spain)
- 1960: Luis Suárez (Spain)
- 1961: Omar Sívori (Italy)
- 1962: Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia)
- 1963: Lev Yashin (Soviet Union)
- 1964: Denis Law (Scotland)
- 1965: Eusébio (Portugal)
- 1966: Bobby Charlton (England)
- 1967: Flórián Albert (Hungary)
- 1968: George Best (Northern Ireland)
- 1969: Gianni Rivera (Italy)
- 1970: Gerd Müller (West Germany)
- 1971: Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
- 1972: Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
- 1973: Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
- 1974: Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
- 1975: Oleh Blokhin (Soviet Union)
- 1976: Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
- 1977: Allan Simonsen (Denmark)
- 1978: Kevin Keegan (England)
- 1979: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)
- 1980: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)
- 1981: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)
- 1982: Paolo Rossi (Italy)
- 1983: Michel Platini (France)
- 1984: Michel Platini (France)
- 1985: Michel Platini (France)
- 1986: Igor Belanov (Soviet Union)
- 1987: Ruud Gullit (Netherlands)
- 1988: Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
- 1989: Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
- 1990: Lothar Matthäus (Germany)
- 1991: Jean-Pierre Papin (France)
- 1992: Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
- 1993: Roberto Baggio (Italy)
- 1994: Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)
- 1995: George Weah (Liberia)
- 1996: Matthias Sammer (Germany)
- 1997: Ronaldo (Brazil)
- 1998: Zinedine Zidane (France)
- 1999: Rivaldo (Brazil)
- 2000: Luís Figo (Portugal)
- 2001: Michael Owen (England)
- 2002: Ronaldo (Brazil)
- 2003: Pavel Nedvěd (Czech Republic)
- 2004: Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine)
- 2005: Ronaldinho (Brazil)
- 2006: Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
- 2007: Kaká (Brazil)
- 2008: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
- 2009: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2010: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2011: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2012: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2013: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
- 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
- 2015: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2016: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
- 2017: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
- 2018: Luka Modrić (Croatia)
- 2019: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2020: No award
- 2021: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2022: Karim Benzema (France)
- 2023: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2024: Rodri (Spain)
Lionel Messi holds the record for most Ballon d'Or awards, with eight, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five. The only goalkeeper to ever win the award was Lev Yashin in 1963.
The Ballon d'Or Féminin, for women footballers, was introduced in 2018. The winners are:
- 2018: Ada Hegerberg (Norway)
- 2019: Megan Rapinoe (USA)
- 2020: No award
- 2021: Alexia Putellas (Spain)
- 2022: Alexia Putellas (Spain)
- 2023: Aitana Bonmatí (Spain)
- 2024: Aitana Bonmatí (Spain)
The Ballon d'Or is a testament to the enduring legacy of football's greatest players.
