Ballon d'Or Winners List 1956-2026: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo And Every Football Legend Who Won The Award
Ballon d'Or Winners List: The Ballon d'Or is one of football's most prestigious individual awards, recognising the outstanding performances of players across different eras. First presented by France Football in 1956, the award has honoured some of the biggest names in football, including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten.
Over the decades, the Ballon d'Or has become a major part of football history, with Lionel Messi holding the record for the most men's awards with eight wins, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five. The women's Ballon d'Or was introduced in 2018, expanding the recognition of individual excellence in the women's game.
You Might Be Interested In Ballon d'Or Winners List From 1956 To 1969 1956: Stanley Matthews (England) 1957: Alfredo Di Stéfano (Spain) 1958: Raymond Kopa (France) 1959: Alfredo Di Stéfano (Spain) 1960: Luis Suárez (Spain) 1961: Omar Sívori (Italy) 1962: Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia) 1963: Lev Yashin (Soviet Union) 1964: Denis Law (Scotland) 1965: Eusébio (Portugal) 1966: Bobby Charlton (England) 1967: Flórián Albert (Hungary) 1968: George Best (Northern Ireland) 1969: Gianni Rivera (Italy) Ballon d'Or Winners List From 1970 To 1979 1970: Gerd Müller (West Germany) 1971: Johan Cruyff (Netherlands) 1972: Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany) 1973: Johan Cruyff (Netherlands) 1974: Johan Cruyff (Netherlands) 1975: Oleh Blokhin (Soviet Union) 1976: Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany) 1977: Allan Simonsen (Denmark) 1978: Kevin Keegan (England) 1979: Kevin Keegan (England) Ballon d'Or Winners List From 1980 To 1989 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: Ihor Belanov (Soviet Union) 1987: Ruud Gullit (Netherlands) 1988: Marco van Basten (Netherlands) 1989: Marco van Basten (Netherlands) Ballon d'Or Winners List From 1990 To 1999 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) 1998: Zinédine Zidane (France) 1999: Rivaldo (Brazil) Ballon d'Or Winners List From 2000 To 2009 2000: Luís Figo (Portugal) 2001: Michael Owen (England) 2002: Ronaldo (Brazil) 2003: Pavel Nedvěd (Czech Republic) 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 List From 2010 To 2019 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 Modrić (Croatia) 2019: Lionel Messi (Argentina) Ballon d'Or Winners List From 2020 To 2026 2020: No winner - award cancelled 2021: Lionel Messi (Argentina) 2022: Karim Benzema (France) 2023: Lionel Messi (Argentina) 2024: Rodri (Spain) 2025: Ousmane Dembélé (France) 2026: Harry Kane (England) Women's Ballon d'Or Winners List From 2018 To 2026 The women's Ballon d'Or was introduced in 2018 to recognise outstanding performances in women's football. 2018: Ada Hegerberg (Norway) 2019: Megan Rapinoe (United States) 2020: No award 2021: Alexia Putellas (Spain) 2022: Alexia Putellas (Spain) 2023: Aitana Bonmatí (Spain) 2024: Aitana Bonmatí (Spain) 2025: Aitana Bonmatí (Spain) 2026: Alexia Putellas (Spain) Which Player Has Won The Most Ballon d'Or Awards?
Lionel Messi holds the record for the most men's Ballon d'Or awards, with eight titles. Cristiano Ronaldo is second with five wins, secured in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten have each won the award three times. The Ballon d'Or continues to celebrate individual achievement in football, adding new names to its history with every edition.
He has also worked with The Sunday Guardian, another publication under the ITV Network, and previously with Jagran New Media. Throughout his career, Priyanshu has covered multiple tournaments across cricket, football, hockey and other major sports, delivering timely news, match reports, in-depth analysis and compelling sports stories.
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