Ballon d'Or
Template:Short description Template:For Template:Featured list Template:Pp-semi-indef Template:Use Oxford spelling Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use list-defined references Template:Infobox award The Ballon d'Or (Template:IPA; Template:Lit) is an annual football award presented by French magazine France Football since 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.
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 widely 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 most recent edition in 2025. Template:TOC limit
Overview
The Ballon d'Or is widely regarded as football's most prestigious and valuable individual award.<ref name="ESPN2020" /><ref name="DiarioAS2023" /><ref name="Goal2023" /><ref name="Reuters2023" /> 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.<ref name="WorldSoccer2007" /><ref name="PerspectivesonPolitics2020" /> Even after 2007, it was usually identified with and referred to by that name because of its origin as a European award,<ref name="BBCSport2008a" /><ref name="TheTelegraph2008" /> until it was merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year award cementing its new worldwide claim.<ref name="TheGuardian2007" /><ref name="FIFA2009" /> Stanley Matthews of England was the inaugural winner of the award.<ref name="UEFA2025" /><ref name="BBCSport2008b" /> 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;<ref name="BBCSport2008c" /><ref name="NBCSports2023" /> two years later, Ronaldo of Brazil became the first South American without a European citizenship to claim the award,<ref name="BBCSport2008c" /> and he is still the youngest winner ever at Template:Ayd old.<ref name="ESPN2023" /> The award became a global prize in 2007 with all professional footballers from clubs around the world being eligible;<ref name="BBCSport2008d" /> additionally, coaches and captains of national teams were also given the right to vote,<ref name="PerspectivesonPolitics2020" /><ref name="ESPN2023" /> before reverting to just journalists in 2016.<ref name="TheAthletic2023a" /><ref name="BBCSport2025" />
Lionel Messi holds the record for most Ballon d'Or wins with eight,<ref name="Reuters2023" /><ref name="LeParisien2023" /> while five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo earned the most nominations with eighteen.<ref name="IOC2025" /> Messi is the only player to win the award with three clubs and also the only one to win it while playing outside Europe,<ref name="TheNewYorkTimes2023" /><ref name="TheAthletic2023b" /> 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.<ref name="Reuters2023" /> Three players have won the award three times each: Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten.<ref name="UEFA2025" /><ref name="IOC2025" /> With seven awards each, Dutch, German, Portuguese and French players have won the second most Ballons d'Or, underneath Argentina in first with eight.<ref name="NBCSports2023" /> 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.<ref name="LeParisien2023" /> The award shows a bias in favour of attacking players,<ref name="BleacherReport2015" /> and, over time, it has gone to a more exclusive set of leagues and clubs.<ref name="PerspectivesonPolitics2020" /> 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.<ref name="PerspectivesonPolitics2020" /><ref name="Goal2022a" /> 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,<ref name="SportsIllustrated2025" /> the two Spanish clubs also lead the overall club ranking for producing the most winners.<ref name="Goal2022a" /><ref name="RSSSF2025" />
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,<ref name="BBCSport2025" /><ref name="FIFA2010" /> which was awarded to the world's best male player before FIFA and France Football decided not to continue the merging agreement.<ref name="DiarioAS2023" /><ref name="ESPN2023" /> The recipients of the joint FIFA Ballon d'Or are considered as winners by both award organizations.<ref name="PerspectivesonPolitics2020" /><ref name="LEquipe2023c" /><ref name="FIFA2024" /> 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.<ref name="UEFA2011" /> In 2020, Groupe Amaury, to which France Football belongs,<ref name="UEFA2023" /> decided that no award would be given for the year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on association football.<ref name="ESPN2020" /><ref name="FranceFootball2020a" /> The widespread public opinion is that the 2020 Ballon d'Or should have been awarded to Robert Lewandowski.<ref name="Forbes2020" /><ref name="ESPN2021" /><ref name="Marca2021" />
France Football modified the rules for the Ballon d'Or in 2022.<ref name="BBCSport2025" /> They changed the timing so that awards were given not for achievements during a calendar year, but for a football season.<ref name="ESPN2023" /><ref name="LEquipe2022" /> 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;<ref name="TheAthletic2023a" /><ref name="UEFA2024" /> the plebiscite had previously been open to all countries since 2007.<ref name="ESPN2023" /><ref name="LEquipe2022" /> UEFA co-organizes the Ballon d'Or gala since 2024, with France Football retaining the voting system and the Ballon d'Or name.<ref name="UEFA2023" /><ref name="LeFigaro2023" />
Criteria
The Ballon d'Or is awarded based on three main criteria:<ref name="BBCSport2025" /><ref name="UEFA2024" />
- 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",<ref name="OptusSport2023" /><ref name="Marca2016" /> criticizing its voting process,<ref name="TheAthletic2023a" /> its bias in favour of attacking players,<ref name="BleacherReport2015" /> and the idea of systematically singling out an individual in a team sport.<ref name="TheGuardian2008" /><ref name="BleacherReport2016" />
Winners
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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.<ref name="DiarioAS2023" /><ref name="LEquipe2022" />
| Player Template:Small | Denotes the number of times the player had won the award at that time (for players with multiple wins) |
- Notes
Template:Notelist Template:Reflist
Wins by player
Wins by country
| Country | Players | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Template:FRA | 6 | 8 |
| Template:ARG | 1 | 8 |
| Template:GER | 5 | 7 |
| Template:NED | 3 | 7 |
| Template:POR | 3 | 7 |
| Template:ITA | 5 | 5 |
| Template:BRA | 4 | 5 |
| Template:ENG | 4 | 5 |
| Template:ESP | 3 | 4 |
| Template:URS | 3 | 3 |
| Template:BUL | 1 | 1 |
| Template:CRO | 1 | 1 |
| Template:CZE | 1 | 1 |
| Template:TCH | 1 | 1 |
| Template:DEN | 1 | 1 |
| Template:HUN | 1 | 1 |
| Template:LBR | 1 | 1 |
| Template:NIR | 1 | 1 |
| Template:SCO | 1 | 1 |
| Template:UKR | 1 | 1 |
Wins by club
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Additional awards
Seasonal awards
- First awarded in 2018, the Ballon d'Or Féminin honours the female player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.<ref name="IOC2025" /><ref name="SportsIllustrated2019" />
- Since 2018 France Football has given out the Kopa Trophy to the best performing player under the age of 21. The award is named after 1958 Ballon d'Or winner Raymond Kopa.<ref name="FranceFootball2018" />
- First awarded in 2019, the Yashin Trophy is presented to the best goalkeeper of the season. The award is named after Soviet goalkeeper and 1963 Ballon d'Or winner Lev Yashin.<ref name="DiarioAS2019" />
- In 2021, France Football gave Robert Lewandowski the Striker of the Year award for scoring the most goals the previous season.<ref name="Eurosport2021" /> Following Gerd Müller's death in 2021, the award was renamed for the 2022 edition to the Gerd Müller Trophy.<ref name="TheGuardian2021" />
- Starting from 2022, France Football has given out the Sócrates Award, which acknowledges footballers for their humanitarian work.<ref name="SportsIllustrated2023" /> The award is named after late Brazilian footballer Sócrates, who co-founded the Corinthians Democracy movement, in opposition to the ruling military dictatorship in Brazil during the 1980s.<ref name="Goal2022b" />
- France Football first gave out the Men's Club of the Year award in 2021, with the inaugural winner being Chelsea.<ref name="LEquipe2021" /><ref name="DiarioAS2022" /> Manchester City won back-to-back in 2022 and 2023,<ref name="LEquipe2023b" /> while Real Madrid won the most recent edition in 2024.<ref name="LeParisien2024" /> The Women's Club of the Year was awarded in 2023 and 2024, and FC Barcelona Femení won it in both occasions.<ref name="BBCSport2024b" />
- France Football first presented the Johan Cruyff Trophy for best coach in 2024.<ref name=UEFA2023 /><ref name=LeFigaro2023 /> The inaugural winner of the Men's Coach of the Year was Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid, while the Women's Coach of the Year was awarded to Emma Hayes, who managed both Chelsea and the United States national team.<ref name="BBCSport2024a" />
Special awards
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Super Ballon d'Or
An honorary award, under the name Super Ballon d'Or, was awarded to Alfredo Di Stéfano in 1989,<ref name="TheAthletic2023a" /> who was voted the best multiple-time Ballon d'Or winner ahead of Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini.<ref name="SPORTbible2022" /><ref name="TheSportingNews2023" />
In addition Diego Maradona received an honorary Ballon d'Or in 1995 for his services to football dubbed the Golden Ballon d'Or.<ref name="TheAthletic2023a" /><ref name="SPORTbible2022" /><ref name="FranceFootball2020b" /> Pelé also received a similar award during the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony dubbed the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur.<ref name="TheAthletic2023a" /><ref name="FIFA2014" />
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.<ref name="TheAthletic2023a" /> 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.<ref name="RSSSF2015" />
| Player | Template:Tooltip | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Flagicon Pelé | 122 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Template:Flagicon Diego Maradona | 65 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| Template:Flagicon Johan Cruyff | 62 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 2 |
| Template:Flagicon Alfredo Di Stéfano | 44 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Template:Flagicon 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.<ref name="TheAthletic2023a" /><ref name="FranceFootball2020b" /> 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.<ref name="FranceFootball2020b" /><ref name="FranceFootball2015" /> The original recipients, however, remain unchanged.<ref name="Goal2023" />
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.<ref name="FranceFootball2020c" /><ref name="Marca2020a" /> A second and a third team were also published.<ref name="Marca2020b" />
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