There has only been one previous Super Ballon d'Or winner – can you guess who it is?
The Ballon d'Or has been the biggest individual honour in football since its inception in 1956, with many legendary figures etching their names into the award's history.
Stanley Matthews was the first recipient of the Ballon d'Or, and between the Blackpool legend and Karim Benzema, 54 players have won the award.
However, only one person has ever won the Super Ballon d'Or, a more prestigious version of the Ballon d'Or.
🎖️Ballon d'Or Dominance:
Di Stefano won the Ballon d'Or twice (1957, 1959), solidifying his status as the best in the world during his era. He also the only player to win the Super Ballon d'Or (1989).🏅🌟#BallonDor #FIFA pic.twitter.com/HsReBMKx11
— Batman 🦇 (@Batwayne101) September 8, 2023
Alfredo Di Stefano won the Super Ballon d'Or for the first and only time in 1989, fending off competition from Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini to take home the prize.
Why did Alfredo Di Stefano win the Super Ballon d'Or award?
In contrast to the regular Ballon d'Or award, which only considers the previous year, the Super Ballon d'Or was established to honour the best player in the world over a long period.
During his playing days, Alfredo Di Stefano was certainly one of the most influential players as he led Madrid to both domestic and European dominance.
In 1989, a six-man shortlist advanced to the final stage of the Super Ballon d'Or award, with Di Stefano joined by Cruyff, Platini, Franz Beckenbauer, Kevin Keegan and Karl-Heinze Rummenigge.
Voting was then conducted by a French football jury, former Ballon d'Or winners, and members of the general public.
Alfredo Di Stefano finished first in the voting in both the jury and former Ballon d'Or winners categories, allowing him to win the Super Ballon d'Or award despite finishing fourth in the general public voting.
2023 Ballon d'Or award voting: Osimhen and Oshoala among the nominees
The nominees for the 2023 Ballon d'Or award were released on Wednesday and it makes for good reading for Nigeria, which recently became the first-ever African nation to have nominees for both the male and female categories.
Victor Osimhen was instrumental to Napoli's title triumph as the striker scored 25 league goals to win the Serie A top scorer award, setting the record as the first African footballer to achieve the feat.
Nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or @victorosimhen9 @sscnapoli @NGSuperEagles #ballondor pic.twitter.com/FkDOlclDE2
— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@ballondor) September 6, 2023
With seven goals in five AFCON qualifiers, Osimhen has also led his country to AFCON qualification heading into their final clash against Sao Tome and Principe on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Asisat Oshoala recently became the first African player to score in three different Women's World Cup tournaments off the back of a splendid season with Barcelona.
She netted 27 times across all competitions en route to winning the La Liga title, the Spanish Supercopa and the Champions League.
Her goalscoring heroics for the Barcelona Femini have not gone unnoticed as she received yet another Ballon d'Or nomination.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
