All Ballon d'Or winners

Find out everything you need to know ahead of the Ballon d'Or 2024: when it will be awarded, the candidates, the format...

The highest individual award for which a player on planet football is eligible is the Ballon d'Or. As of today, Leo Messi is the great dominator of this ranking, as he is the only player in history to have won it eight times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023). We are also talking about the last player to win it.  

Behind him is Cristiano Ronaldo with five awards, won in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017. With three, there are Michel Platini (1983, 1984 and 1985), Johan Cruyff (1971, 1973 and 1974) and Marco van Basten (1988, 1989 and 1992).

As many as five footballers even won it on a couple of occasions: Franz Beckenbauer (1972 and 1976), Ronaldo Nazario (1997 and 2002), Alfredo di Stefano (1957 and 1959), Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979) and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1980 and 1981).

The list is completed by 34 players who received the award only once. 

This is the complete list of winners year by year:

2023: Leo Messi (ARG)

2022: Karim Benzema (FRA)
2021: Leo Messi (ARG)
2020: desierto por COVID-19
2019: Leo Messi (ARG)
2018: Luka Modric (CRO)
2017: Cristiano Ronaldo (POR)
2016: Cristiano Ronaldo (POR)
2015: Leo Messi (ARG) (FIFA Ballon d'Or)
2014: Cristiano Ronaldo (POR) (FIFA Ballon d'Or)
2013: Cristiano Ronaldo (POR) (FIFA Ballon d'Or)

2012: Leo Messi (ARG) (FIFA Ballon d'Or)
2011: Leo Messi (ARG) (FIFA Ballon d'Or)
2010: Leo Messi (ARG) (FIFA Ballon d'Or)
2009: Leo Messi (ARG)

2008: Cristiano Ronaldo (POR)
2007: Kaká (BRA)
2006: Fabio Cannavaro (ITA)
2005: Ronaldinho (BRA)
2004: Andriy Shevchenko (UCR)
2003: Pavel Nedved (RCH)
2002: Ronaldo Nazário (BRA)
2001: Michael Owen (ENG)
2000: Luis Figo (POR)
1999: Rivaldo (BRA)
1998: Zinedine Zidane (FRA)
1997: Ronaldo Nazário (BRA)
1996: Matthias Sammer (GER)
1995: George Weah (LIB)
1994: Hristo Stoichkov (BUL)
1993: Roberto Baggio (ITA)
1992: Marco van Basten (NET)
1991: Jean-Pierre Papin (FRA)
1990: Lothar Matthäus (GER)

1989: Marco van Basten (NET)
1988: Marco van Basten (NET)
1987: Ruud Gullit (NET)
1986: Igor Belanov (URSS)
1985: Michel Platini (FRA)
1984: Michel Platini (FRA)
1983: Michel Platini (FRA)
1982: Paolo Rossi (ITA)
1981: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (RFA)
1980: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (RFA)
1979: Kevin Keegan (ENG)
1978: Kevin Keegan (ENG)
1977: Allan Simonsen (DEN)
1976: Franz Beckenbauer (RFA)
1975: Oleg Blokhine (URSS)
1974: Johan Cruyff (NET)
1973: Johan Cruyff (NET)
1972: Franz Beckenbauer (RFA)
1971: Johan Cruyff (NET)
1970: Gerd Müller (RFA)
1969: Gianni Rivera (ITA)
1968: George Best (IRL. N.)
1967: Flórián Albert (HON)
1966: Bobby Charlton (ENG)
1965: Eusébio (POR)
1964: Denis Law (ECO)

1963: Lev Yashin (URSS)
1962: Josef Masopust (RCH)
1961: Omar Sivori (ITA)
1960: Luis Suárez (SPA)
1959: Alfredo Di Stéfano (2) (SPA)
1958: Raymond Kopa (FRA)
1957: Alfredo Di Stéfano (SPA)
1956: Stanley Matthews (ENG)