What will the Ballon d'Or Winners List look like? Obviously, you are going to see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's names repeatedly mentioned!
FIFA Ballon d’Or award is the most distinguished individual award in football and it is conferred on the best player in the world every year.
The Ballon d’Or award began back in 1956 and it was called the “European Player Of the year award” and only the players from Europe were qualified for this award.
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But In 1995 the rules were adjusted and any player playing for a European club could win it.
And in 2010 the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year were married, with the world’s best player awarded the FIFA Ballon d’Or, which any footballer from any part of the world can win it.
But in 2016, France Football stated that their partnership with FIFA had come to an end and that they would revive the Ballon d'Or award, the 2016 edition became the 61st award.
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In 2018, the first women's Ballon d'Or award was presented and was known as the Ballon d'Or Féminin.
Ada Hegerberg won it in 2018 while Megan Rapinoe clinched it in 2019.
Just like the men's, Ballon d'Or 2020 was not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ronaldo and Messi have each won the Ballon d'Or award a record five times, with four players each having claimed it on three occasions: Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten.
Now let’s take a look at all past winners of Ballon d’Or, or is it the FIFA Ballon d’Or award?
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Ballon d'Or Winners List
Year | Player | Nationality | Club |
1956 | Stanley Matthews | England | Blackpool |
1957 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain | Real Madrid |
1958 | Raymond Kopa | France | Real Madrid |
1959 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain | Real Madrid |
1960 | Luis Suárez | Spain | Barcelona |
1961 | Omar Sívori | Italy | Juventus |
1962 | Josef Masopust | Czechoslovakia | Dukla Prague |
1963 | Lev Yashin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Moscow |
1964 | Denis Law | Scotland | Manchester United |
1965 | Eusébio | Portugal | Benfica |
1966 | Bobby Charlton | England | Manchester United |
1967 | Flórián Albert | Hungary | Ferencv rosi TC |
1968 | George Best | Northern Ireland | Manchester United |
1969 | Gianni Rivera | Italy | Milan |
1970 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
1971 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Ajax |
1972 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
1973 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Barcelona |
1974 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Barcelona |
1975 | Oleg Blokhin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv |
1976 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
1977 | Allan Simonsen | Denmark | Borussia M”nchengladbach |
1978 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburg |
1979 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburg |
1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italy | Juventus |
1983 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
1984 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
1985 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
1986 | Igor Belanov | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv |
1987 | Ruud Gullit | Netherlands | Milan |
1988 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
1989 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
1990 | Lothar Matthäus | Germany | Internazionale |
1991 | Jean-Pierre Papin | France | Marseille |
1992 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
1993 | Roberto Baggio | Italy | Juventus |
1994 | Hristo Stoichkov | Bulgaria | Barcelona |
1995 | George Weah | Liberia | Milan |
1996 | Matthias Sammer | Germany | Borussia Dortmund |
1997 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Internazionale |
1998 | Zinedine Zidane | France | Juventus |
1999 | Rivaldo | Brazil | Barcelona |
2000 | Luís Figo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
2001 | Michael Owen | England | Liverpool |
2002 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Real Madrid |
2003 | Pavel Nedvěd | Czech Republic | Juventus |
2004 | Andriy Shevchenko | Ukrain | Milan |
2005 | Ronaldinho | Brazil | Barcelona |
2006 | Fabio Cannavaro | Italy | Real Madrid |
2007 | Kaká | Brazil | Milan |
2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Manchester United |
2009 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
2010 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
2011 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
2012 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
2015 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
2018 | Luka Modric | Croatia | Real Madrid |
2019 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
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That's the Ballon d'Or winners list. Since 1956 till date, there have been about 64 of them. Time will increase that number for sure.
This article was most recently revised and updated 8 months ago
