The Ballon d’Or is widely regarded as the most prestigious individual award in football. Introduced in 1956 by the French magazine France Football, the award recognizes the best player in the world each year. Over the decades, the Ballon d’Or has celebrated some of the greatest names in football history, from Stanley Matthews to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Below is the complete list of Ballon d’Or winners from 1956 to 2025, along with their nationalities and the year they won.
Ballon d’Or Winners: 1950s to 1960s
The early years of the award were dominated by European players, as it was initially restricted to them. Legends like Alfredo Di Stefano and George Best cemented their names in football history.
- 1956 – Stanley Matthews (England)
- 1957 – Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentina/Spain)
- 1958 – Raymond Kopa (France)
- 1959 – Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentina/Spain)
- 1960 – Luis Suárez (Spain)
- 1961 – Omar Sivori (Italy)
- 1962 – Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia)
- 1963 – Lev Yashin (Soviet Union) – the only goalkeeper ever to win
- 1964 – Denis Law (England)
- 1965 – Eusébio (Portugal)
- 1966 – Bobby Charlton (England)
- 1967 – Flórián Albert (Hungary)
- 1968 – George Best (Northern Ireland)
- 1969 – Gianni Rivera (Italy)
Ballon d’Or Winners: 1970s
This era was dominated by Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer, who set the standard for modern football greatness.
- 1970 – Gerd Müller (West Germany)
- 1971 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
- 1972 – Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
- 1973 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
- 1974 – Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
- 1975 – Oleg Blokhin (Soviet Union)
- 1976 – Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)
- 1977 – Allan Simonsen (Denmark)
- 1978 – Kevin Keegan (England)
- 1979 – Kevin Keegan (England)
Ballon d’Or Winners: 1980s
The 1980s saw the rise of stars like Michel Platini, Marco van Basten, and Ruud Gullit, who shaped European football.
- 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)
Ballon d’Or Winners: 1990s
The 1990s welcomed diversity, with George Weah becoming the first African to win the award. Ronaldo Nazário also became the youngest ever winner.
- 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) – youngest ever winner at 21
- 1998 – Zinedine Zidane (France)
- 1999 – Rivaldo (Brazil)
Ballon d’Or Winners: 2000s
The 2000s marked the rise of modern superstars like Ronaldinho, Kaká, and Cristiano Ronaldo, before Lionel Messi began his dominance.
- 2000 – Luís Figo (Portugal)
- 2001 – Michael Owen (England)
- 2002 – Ronaldo (Brazil)
- 2003 – Pavel Nedvěd (Czechia)
- 2004 – Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine)
- 2005 – Ronaldinho (Brazil)
- 2006 – Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
- 2007 – Kaká (Brazil)
- 2008 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
- 2009 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Ballon d’Or Winners: 2010s
The 2010s were largely dominated by the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who shared the award almost every year.
- 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 Modric (Croatia)
- 2019 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Ballon d’Or Winners: 2020s
This decade continues to witness Messi’s brilliance, while new names such as Karim Benzema, Rodri, and Ousmane Dembélé have entered the history books.
- 2020 – Not awarded (COVID-19 pandemic)
- 2021 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2022 – Karim Benzema (France)
- 2023 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 2024 – Rodri (Spain)
- 2025 – Ousmane Dembélé (France)
