The Ballon d'Or
Every winner of the Golden Ball since 1956 — the legends, the records, the clubs and the nations that have defined world football. Awarded annually by France Football to the best player on the planet.
Awaiting Winner
Ceremony date to be announced
Reigning champion (2025)
Ousmane Dembélé
Paris Saint-Germain · France
Hall of Fame
Most Ballon d'Or Titles
5
Cristiano Ronaldo
8
Lionel Messi
3
Marco van Basten
Other multiple winners
- Michel Platini3
- Johan Cruyff3
- Ronaldo2
- Karl-Heinz Rummenigge2
- Kevin Keegan2
- Franz Beckenbauer2
- Alfredo Di Stéfano2
Wins by Club
- Real Madrid12
- Barcelona12
- AC Milan8
- Juventus8
- Bayern Munich5
- Manchester United4
Wins by Nation
- 🇫🇷 France8
- 🇦🇷 Argentina8
- 🇵🇹 Portugal7
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands7
- 🇩🇪 West Germany6
- 🇧🇷 Brazil5
Seven Eras
Winners by Decade
2020s
2020 – 2029 · 5 awards
- Lionel Messi2
- Ousmane Dembélé1
- Rodri1
2010s
2010 – 2019 · 10 awards
- Lionel Messi5
- Cristiano Ronaldo4
- Luka Modrić1
2000s
2000 – 2009 · 10 awards
- Lionel Messi1
- Cristiano Ronaldo1
- Kaká1
1990s
1990 – 1999 · 10 awards
- Rivaldo1
- Zinedine Zidane1
- Ronaldo1
1980s
1980 – 1989 · 10 awards
- Michel Platini3
- Marco van Basten2
- Karl-Heinz Rummenigge2
1970s
1970 – 1979 · 10 awards
- Johan Cruyff3
- Kevin Keegan2
- Franz Beckenbauer2
1960s
1960 – 1969 · 10 awards
- Gianni Rivera1
- George Best1
- Flórián Albert1
1950s
1950 – 1959 · 4 awards
- Alfredo Di Stéfano2
- Raymond Kopa1
- Stanley Matthews1
1956 – 2025
Ballon d'Or Winners List
No award was presented in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Year | Player | Nation | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Awaiting | Ceremony date to be announced | |
| 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 | AC Milan |
| 2006 | Fabio Cannavaro | 🇮🇹 Italy | Real Madrid |
| 2005 | Ronaldinho | 🇧🇷 Brazil | Barcelona |
| 2004 | Andriy Shevchenko | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | AC 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 | AC Milan |
| 1994 | Hristo Stoichkov | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | Barcelona |
| 1993 | Roberto Baggio | 🇮🇹 Italy | Juventus |
| 1992 | Marco van Basten | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | AC Milan |
| 1991 | Jean-Pierre Papin | 🇫🇷 France | Marseille |
| 1990 | Lothar Matthäus | 🇩🇪 West Germany | Inter Milan |
| 1989 | Marco van Basten | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | AC Milan |
| 1988 | Marco van Basten | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | AC Milan |
| 1987 | Ruud Gullit | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | AC 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 | 🇩🇪 West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | 🇩🇪 West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1979 | Kevin Keegan | 🏴 England | Hamburger SV |
| 1978 | Kevin Keegan | 🏴 England | Hamburger SV |
| 1977 | Allan Simonsen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | Borussia Mönchengladbach |
| 1976 | Franz Beckenbauer | 🇩🇪 West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1975 | Oleg Blokhin | 🔘 Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1974 | Johan Cruyff | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | Barcelona |
| 1973 | Johan Cruyff | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | Barcelona |
| 1972 | Franz Beckenbauer | 🇩🇪 West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1971 | Johan Cruyff | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | Ajax |
| 1970 | Gerd Müller | 🇩🇪 West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1969 | Gianni Rivera | 🇮🇹 Italy | AC 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 |
Since 2018
Ballon d'Or Féminin
Ceremony date to be announced
Aitana Bonmatí
Barcelona · 🇪🇸 Spain
Aitana Bonmatí
Barcelona · 🇪🇸 Spain
Aitana Bonmatí
Barcelona · 🇪🇸 Spain
Alexia Putellas
Barcelona · 🇪🇸 Spain
Alexia Putellas
Barcelona · 🇪🇸 Spain
Megan Rapinoe
Reign FC · 🇺🇸 United States
Ada Hegerberg
Lyon · 🇳🇴 Norway
Ceremony Awards
Kopa, Yashin & Gerd Müller Trophies
Kopa Trophy
Best player under 21
- 2026Awaiting
- 2025Lamine Yamal
- 2024Lamine Yamal
- 2023Jude Bellingham
Yashin Trophy
Best goalkeeper
- 2026Awaiting
- 2025Gianluigi Donnarumma
- 2024Emiliano Martínez
- 2023Emiliano Martínez
Gerd Müller Trophy
Top goalscorer of the season
- 2026Awaiting
- 2025Viktor Gyökeres
- 2024Harry Kane & Kylian Mbappé
- 2023Erling Haaland
History of the Ballon d'Or
Created in 1956 by France Football editor Gabriel Hanot, the Ballon d'Or was originally reserved for European players at European clubs. Stanley Matthews of Blackpool was the first winner. The award opened to all players at European clubs in 1995 — George Weah becoming the first non-European winner — and to every player in the world from 2007.
Between 2010 and 2015 it merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year as the FIFA Ballon d'Or, before returning to France Football. The women's award and the Kopa Trophy were introduced in 2018, the Yashin Trophy in 2019 and the Gerd Müller Trophy in 2021. Since 2024 the ceremony has been co-organised with UEFA.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has won the most Ballon d'Or awards?
Lionel Messi holds the record with 8 Ballon d'Or titles (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023). Cristiano Ronaldo is second with 5.
Who won the 2025 Ballon d'Or?
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain, France) won the 2025 men's Ballon d'Or, while Aitana Bonmatí won the women's award.
When will the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner be announced?
The 2026 Ballon d'Or winner has not been announced yet. This page will update with the winner as soon as the ceremony takes place.
Why was there no Ballon d'Or in 2020?
France Football cancelled the 2020 edition because the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the football calendar, making a fair comparison impossible.
Which club has produced the most Ballon d'Or winners?
Real Madrid and Barcelona share the record, each with 12 Ballon d'Or wins by players at the club, followed by Juventus and AC Milan with 8 each.
Who organises the Ballon d'Or?
The Ballon d'Or was created by French magazine France Football in 1956 and has been co-organised with UEFA since 2024. Winners are chosen by a panel of international journalists.
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