The Ballon d'Or has been awarded 69 times since 1956 and has been won by 47 players: the most successful is Lionel Messi, with eight, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo, with five. The latest winner is France's Ousmane Dembélé, in 2025. The 2026 award will be presented on 26 October in London. This is the full list, with rankings by player, country and club.
Who has won the most Ballons d'Or
| Player | Ballons d'Or | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | 8 | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 5 | 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 |
| Johan Cruyff | 3 | 1971, 1973, 1974 |
| Michel Platini | 3 | 1983, 1984, 1985 |
| Marco van Basten | 3 | 1988, 1989, 1992 |
| Alfredo Di Stéfano | 2 | 1957, 1959 |
| Franz Beckenbauer | 2 | 1972, 1976 |
| Kevin Keegan | 2 | 1978, 1979 |
| Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | 2 | 1980, 1981 |
| Ronaldo | 2 | 1997, 2002 |
Ten players have won it more than once. Between 2008 and 2023, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo took 13 of the 15 awards; the other two went to Luka Modrić (2018) and Karim Benzema (2022). Messi also holds the longest streak: four in a row, from 2009 to 2012.
When the 2026 Ballon d'Or is presented
On Monday 26 October 2026, in London. It will be the first time the ceremony is held in that city and it coincides with the award's 70th anniversary, according to UEFA, which has co-organised it since 2024 with the magazine France Football, its creator. At the time of writing the winner is not known: we will update the list that day.
All the Ballon d'Or winners, year by year
| Year | Winner | Country | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Ousmane Dembélé | France | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 2024 | Rodri | Spain | Manchester City |
| 2023 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Inter Miami |
| 2022 | Karim Benzema | France | Real Madrid |
| 2021 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 2019 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2018 | Luka Modrić | Croatia | Real Madrid |
| 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2015 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2012 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2011 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2010 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2009 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Manchester United |
| 2007 | Kaká | Brazil | Milan |
| 2006 | Fabio Cannavaro | Italy | Real Madrid |
| 2005 | Ronaldinho | Brazil | Barcelona |
| 2004 | Andriy Shevchenko | Ukraine | Milan |
| 2003 | Pavel Nedvěd | Czech Republic | Juventus |
| 2002 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Real Madrid |
| 2001 | Michael Owen | England | Liverpool |
| 2000 | Luís Figo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 1999 | Rivaldo | Brazil | Barcelona |
| 1998 | Zinedine Zidane | France | Juventus |
| 1997 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Inter Milan |
| 1996 | Matthias Sammer | Germany | Borussia Dortmund |
| 1995 | George Weah | Liberia | Milan |
| 1994 | Hristo Stoichkov | Bulgaria | Barcelona |
| 1993 | Roberto Baggio | Italy | Juventus |
| 1992 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1991 | Jean-Pierre Papin | France | Marseille |
| 1990 | Lothar Matthäus | Germany | Inter Milan |
| 1989 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1988 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1987 | Ruud Gullit | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1986 | Igor Belanov | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1985 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1984 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1983 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italy | Juventus |
| 1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1979 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburger SV |
| 1978 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburger SV |
| 1977 | Allan Simonsen | Denmark | Borussia Mönchengladbach |
| 1976 | Franz Beckenbauer | Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1975 | Oleg Blokhin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1974 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Barcelona |
| 1973 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Barcelona |
| 1972 | Franz Beckenbauer | Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1971 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Ajax |
| 1970 | Gerd Müller | Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1969 | Gianni Rivera | Italy | Milan |
| 1968 | George Best | Northern Ireland | Manchester United |
| 1967 | Flórián Albert | Hungary | Ferencváros |
| 1966 | Bobby Charlton | England | Manchester United |
| 1965 | Eusébio | Portugal | Benfica |
| 1964 | Denis Law | Scotland | Manchester United |
| 1963 | Lev Yashin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Moscow |
| 1962 | Josef Masopust | Czechoslovakia | Dukla Prague |
| 1961 | Omar Sívori | Italy | Juventus |
| 1960 | Luis Suárez | Spain | Barcelona |
| 1959 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain | Real Madrid |
| 1958 | Raymond Kopa | France | Real Madrid |
| 1957 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain | Real Madrid |
| 1956 | Stanley Matthews | England | Blackpool |
The club is the one the winner was playing for when he received the award. It was not awarded in 2020, because of the pandemic. Between 2010 and 2015 the award merged with FIFA's and was called the FIFA Ballon d'Or.
Ballon d'Or by country
| Country | Ballons d'Or | Different players |
|---|---|---|
| France | 8 | 6 |
| Argentina | 8 | 1 |
| Portugal | 7 | 3 |
| Germany | 7 | 5 |
| Netherlands | 7 | 3 |
| England | 5 | 4 |
| Italy | 5 | 5 |
| Brazil | 5 | 4 |
| Spain | 4 | 3 |
| Soviet Union | 3 | 3 |
| Czechoslovakia | 1 | 1 |
| Scotland | 1 | 1 |
| Hungary | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Ireland | 1 | 1 |
| Denmark | 1 | 1 |
| Bulgaria | 1 | 1 |
| Liberia | 1 | 1 |
| Czech Republic | 1 | 1 |
| Ukraine | 1 | 1 |
| Croatia | 1 | 1 |
France and Argentina are tied at the top with eight, but in opposite ways: France got there with six players and Argentina with just one. The country is shown as it appears in the list of winners: Alfredo Di Stéfano and Omar Sívori were born in Argentina but won as players of Spain and Italy. Germany includes the awards of the former West Germany.
Ballon d'Or by club
| Club | Ballons d'Or |
|---|---|
| Real Madrid | 12 |
| Barcelona | 12 |
| Juventus | 8 |
| Milan | 8 |
| Bayern Munich | 5 |
| Manchester United | 4 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 2 |
| Hamburger SV | 2 |
| Inter Milan | 2 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2 |
Real Madrid and Barcelona have 12 each, and together with Juventus and Milan, which have eight, they account for 40 of the 69 awards. In all, 22 clubs have had winners.
Records and facts about the award
- The only goalkeeper: Lev Yashin, in 1963.
- The first non-European: George Weah, of Liberia, in 1995. He remains the only African winner.
- The first South American: Brazil's Ronaldo, in 1997, who at 21 is also the youngest winner.
- The oldest: Stanley Matthews, the first winner, who was 41 in 1956.
- South America: 13 awards, eight by Messi and five by Brazilian players.
There is a reason South Americans appear so late: until 1994 the award was only for European players. In 1995 it was opened to any footballer at a European club, and in 2007 to players from all over the world. That is why figures such as Pelé and Maradona never won it.
How the winner is chosen
It is voted on by a jury of specialist journalists, from a list of 30 nominees. Until 2021 it rewarded performance over the calendar year; since 2022 the previous season, from August to July, is what counts. Since 2018 there has also been a women's Ballon d'Or.
For more football, see how long a match lasts and how big a pitch is.
Frequently asked questions
Who has the most Ballons d'Or?
Lionel Messi, with eight: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
How many Ballons d'Or does Cristiano Ronaldo have?
Five: 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Who won the latest Ballon d'Or?
Ousmane Dembélé, of Paris Saint-Germain, in 2025. The 2026 award will be presented on 26 October.
Why was there no Ballon d'Or in 2020?
France Football decided not to award it because of the pandemic, which disrupted that year's competitions.
