It's the most prestigious individual accolade a footballer can win – here's everyone who's ever been bestowed with the honour
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The Ballon d'Or is the ultimate individual prize in football, recognising the world's best player each year.
Presented since 1956 by France Football magazine, the award has been won by some of the biggest legends ever to grace the game.
Here, we run through each and every one of them up to 2022...
1. Stanley Matthews (1956)
Stanley Matthews (Image credit: Getty Images)
Legendary England winger Stanley Matthews famously played on until he was 50 years old – and he was 41 when he won the inaugural Ballon d'Or.
The first player to be knighted while still playing, Matthews had become the very first recipient of the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year in 1948.
2. Alfredo Di Stefano (1957, 1959)
Alfredo Di Stefano (Image credit: Getty Images)
An undisputed icon of the game, Alfredo Di Stefano earned legendary status during a trophy-laden 11-year spell at Real Madrid.
The Argentine-born dribbling demon's two Ballon d'Or wins came in addition to eight La Liga titles and an incredible five European Cup triumphs.
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3. Raymond Kopa (1958)
Raymond Kopa (Image credit: Getty Images)
The first French recipient of the Ballon d'Or, Raymond Kopa won three European Cups as a member of the legendary Real Madrid team of the 1950s.
Following his death in 2017, France Football created the Kopa Trophy, which is awarded each year to the best player under 21.
4. Luis Suarez (1960)
Luis Suarez (Image credit: Getty Images)
No, not that Luis Suarez. This is the legendary Spanish midfielder of the 1960s, who was the first player from his country to win the Ballon d'Or.
A Barcelona player when he received the award, he went on to spend most of his career with Inter Milan – and helped Spain to European Championship glory in 1964.
5. Omar Sivori (1961)
Omar Sivori (Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Omar Sivori scooped the 1961 Ballon d'Or thanks to sublime performances for Juventus – with whom he won three Serie A titles.
Born in Argentina, he represented his birthland and Italy at international level – featuring for the latter at the 1962 World Cup.
6. Josef Masopust (1962)
Josef Masopust (Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Widely regarded as the best Czech player of all time, Josef Masopust's Ballon d'Or victory coincided with Czechoslovakia's run to the 1962 World Cup final.
He spent the majority of his club career with iconic outfit Dukla Prague, later going on to coach them and the national team.
7. Lev Yashin (1963)
Lev Yashin (Image credit: Getty Images)
Arguably the greatest there's ever been between the sticks, Lev Yashin made goalkeeping an art form throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
The first 'keeper to win the Ballon d'Or, he helped the Soviet Union to glory at the inaugural European Championship in 1960, and to the semi-finals of the 1966 World Cup.
8. Denis Law
Denis Law (Image credit: Getty Images)
One of the few players to have succeeded with both Manchester United and Manchester City, Denis Law was one of the deadliest strikers of the 1960s and early 1970s.
The Lawman – who earned 30 caps for Scotland – won the Ballon d'Or before going on to enjoy domestic and European glory with United.
9. Eusebio (1965)
Eusebio (Image credit: Getty Images)
One of the greatest players of all time, Eusebio won 17 major trophies with Benfica and inspired Portugal to third place at the 1966 World Cup.
And it was the year before that tournament that he claimed the ultimate individual accolade of the Ballon d'Or – in which he also finished second on two occasions.
10. Bobby Charlton (1966)
Bobby Charlton (Image credit: Getty Images)
1966 was quite a year for Bobby Charlton: the Manchester United legend scooped the main man in England's historic World Cup victory, then went and topped it off by winning the Ballon d'Or.
Charlton is one of an elite group of players to have won the World Cup, European Cup and Ballon d'Or – in which he was runner-up in 1967 and 1968.
11. Florian Albert (1967)
Florian Albert (left) and Lajos Tichy (Image credit: Getty Images)
Hungary's Mighty Magyars perhaps came along slightly too early for the Ballon d'Or, but they got their hands on the prize thanks to one of their finest players of the 1960s.
Legendary forward Florian Albert scored 31 goals in 75 caps for Hungary, spending his entire career with iconic Budapest club Ferencvaros.
12. George Best (1968)
George Best (left) and Sir Matt Busby (Image credit: Getty Images)
George Best joined the growing list of Manchester United players to win the Ballon d'Or when he landed the prize in the year of the club's maiden European Cup triumph.
The flamboyant Northern Irish entertainer was a true superstar of his era and, saddeningly, arguably the greatest player never to grace the World Cup.
13. Gianni Rivera (1969)
Gianni Rivera (Image credit: Getty Images)
Gianni Rivera represented Italy at four World Cups – scoring a famous semi-final winner at the 1970 edition, only to end up on the losing side in the final.
Nonetheless, the AC Milan great did more than enough to assure himself of legendary status among Azzurri fans, having helped his country to glory at the 1968 European Championship.
14. Gerd Muller (1970)
Gerd Muller (Image credit: Getty Images)
The definition of a defender's nightmare, Gerd Muller was one of the most devastating strikers the game has ever seen, banging in more than 700 goals for club and country.
Der Bomber's Ballon d'Or win came before most of his greatest club triumphs, which included European Championship and World Cup victory with West Germany, and three European Cups with Bayern Munich.
15. Johan Cruyff (1971, 1973, 1974)
Johan Cruyff (Image credit: Getty Images)
The first player to get his hands on the Ballon d'Or three times, Johan Cruyff's influence on football is unparalleled – and, of course, it all began with his brilliance on the pitch.
Surely the greatest Dutch player of all time, Cruyff captained the Netherlands to the 1974 World Cup final and won three successive European Cups with Ajax at the beginning of the 1970s.
16. Franz Beckenbauer (1972, 1976)
Franz Beckenbauer (Image credit: Getty Images)
One of a handful of players to have won the World Cup as a player and manager, Franz Beckenbauer picked up the Ballon d'Or either side of captaining West Germany to glory on home soil in 1974.
Generally considered the original sweeper, Beckenbauer also won three European Cups with Bayern Munich.
17. Oleg Blokhin (1975)
Oleg Blokhin (Image credit: Getty Images)
A legendary striker for Dynamo Kyiv and the Soviet Union, Oleg Blokhin won the Ballon d'Or after Dynamo triumphed in the 1974/75 Cup Winners' Cup.
He won more caps (112) and scored more goals (42) than any other player in the history of the Soviet national team, who he represented for 16 years.
18. Allan Simonsen (1977)
Allan Simonsen (Image credit: Getty Images)
An icon of Danish football, Allan Simonsen's 1977 Ballon d'Or win came after a season in which he very nearly did the treble with Borussia Monchengladbach (falling short in the European Cup final).
The striker did win three Bundesliga titles with Gladbach, though, before going on to play for Barcelona and a brief spell in England with Charlton Athletic.
19. Kevin Keegan (1978, 1979)
Kevin Keegan (Image credit: Getty Images)
One of a select few players to win the Ballon d'Or in consecutive years, Kevin Keegan was surely England's biggest star of the 1970s.
Having won almost every piece of major silverware available with Liverpool, the superbly permed forward left for Hamburg – and duly helped them to the 1978/79 Bundesliga title.
A prolific goalscorer with 45 goals for West Germany, Karl-Heinz Rummennige's back-to-back Ballon d'Or victories came after he helped fire his country to glory at the 1980 European Championship.
The World Cup was to allude Rummennigge (he finished on the losing side in two finals), but he did win two European Cups with Bayern Munich.
21. Paolo Rossi (1982)
Paolo Rossi (Image credit: Getty Images)
Paolo Rossi's goals fired Italy to victory at the 1982 World Cup – and it was a truly golden year for the legendary Azzurri striker.
As well as team glory, Rossi got his hands on the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards at the tournament – with his Ballon d'Or success making him the first player to win all four of those honours in a single year.
22. Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985)
Michel Platini (Image credit: Getty Images)
The first player to win the Ballon d'Or three years running, Michel Platini was very much France's main man throughout the 1980s.
One of the all-time great playmakers, Platini was integral to Les Bleus' first major triumph at the 1984 European Championship – before winning the European Cup with Juventus the following year.
23. Igor Belanov (1986)
Igor Belanov (Image credit: Getty Images)
Dynamo Kyiv legend Oleg Blokhin was instrumental in the Ukrainian giants' 1985/86 Cup Winners' Cup triumph – one of six major trophies the striker won with the club.
At international level, Blokhin – who later played in the Bundesliga for Borussia Monchengladbach – would go on to help the Soviet Union to the final of the 1988 European Championship.
24. Ruud Gullit (1987)
Ruud Gullit (Image credit: Getty Images)
Captain of the Netherlands team that became European champions in 1988, Ruud Gullit won the Ballon d'Or in a year which saw him make a career-defining move from PSV to AC Milan.
The highly versatile midfielder was a scudetto winner in his first season at Milan – with whom he would also taste European Cup glory twice.
25. Marco van Basten (1988, 1989, 1992)
Marco van Basten (Image credit: Getty Images)
Marco van Basten's career was cruelly cut short by injury when he was just 28 – but the sensational Dutch striker still managed to get his hands on three Ballons d'Or.
The first came after he produced some inspirational performances en route to the Netherlands' Euro 88 triumph – capped off by his all-time great volley in the final against the Soviet Union.
26. Lothar Matthaus (1990)
Lothar Matthaus (Image credit: Getty Images)
One of a handful of players to feature at five World Cups, Lothar Matthaus enjoyed great success throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
The iconic midfielder captained West Germany to victory at the 1990 World Cup – having previously won the 1980 European Championship – and won league titles with Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
27. Jean-Pierre Papin (1991)
Jean-Pierre Papin (Image credit: Getty Images)
Among the most potent strikers of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Jean-Pierre Papin's Ballon d'Or victory came in the same year that he helped fire Marseille to the European Cup final.
The Frenchman – who scored 30 goals in 54 caps for his country – would go on to be a Champions League winner with AC Milan in 1994.
28. Roberto Baggio (1993)
Roberto Baggio (Image credit: Getty Images)
In 1994, Roberto Baggio missed the penalty which lost Italy the World Cup final – but the year before, The Divine Ponytail was on top of the world as the Ballon d'Or winner.
He bagged at least 22 goals for Juventus in each campaign from 1990/91 to 1993/94, winning the 1992/93 UEFA Cup with the Bianconeri.
29. Hristo Stoichkov (1994)
Hristo Stoichkov (Image credit: Getty Images)
Hristo Stoichkov is Bulgaria's greatest player of all time – and he was one of the best on the planet during the first half of the 1990s, winning the 1991/92 Champions League with Barcelona and inspiring his country to fourth place at the 1994 World Cup.
He also won the Golden Boot at the latter tournament, scoring against Argentina, Germany and Italy.
30. George Weah (1995)
George Weah (left) and Roberto Baggio (Image credit: Getty Images)
In 1995, Liberian superstar George Weah became the first African player to be awarded the Ballon d'Or.
It came after he finished as top scorer in the 1994/95 Champions League, his performances in which earned him a big switch from PSG to AC Milan – with whom he would win two Serie A titles.
31. Matthias Sammer (1996)
Matthias Sammer (Image credit: Getty Images)
A key figure in Germany's Euro 96 success, Matthias Sammer scooped the Ballon d'Or having also won successive Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund.
The defensive midfielder would go on to play an important part in the Black and Yellows' 1996/97 Champions League triumph – before being forced to retire by injury in 1998.
32. Ronaldo (1997, 2002)
Ronaldo (Image credit: Getty Images)
The 'original' Ronaldo helped redefine the role of the striker with devastating brilliance during the 1990s and 2000s.
O Fenomeno won his first Ballon d'Or after a prolific sole season at Barcelona – he banged in 47 goals in 49 games – and his second after top-scoring in Brazil's 2002 World Cup victory.
33. Zinedine Zidane (1998)
Zinedine Zidane (Image credit: Getty Images)
A hero of France's very first World Cup triumph on home soil in 1998, Zinedine Zidane is undoubtedly one of the finest players of all time.
He also claimed the FIFA World Player of the Year award in the same year he won the Ballon d'Or – and would go on to be a European champion at club and international level early the next century.
34. Rivaldo (1999)
Rivaldo (Image credit: Getty Images)
Brazil's second Ballon d'Or winner in three years at the end of the 1990s, Rivaldo was tearing it up for Barcelona at the time of his victory.
He found the net 28 times in each of his first two seasons at Barca, going on to score a total of 130 goals in 235 appearances for the Catalan giants – then winning the 2002 World Cup before joining AC Milan and helping them to Champions League success.
35. Luis Figo (2000)
Luis Figo (Image credit: Getty Images)
2000 brought the most controversial moment of Luis Figo's glittering career: he did the unthinkable and moved directly from Barcelona to arch-rivals Real Madrid (he got a pig's head lobbed at him for his troubles).
But the iconic Portuguese winger only went from strength to strength, winning that year's Ballon d'Or – then FIFA World Player of the Year in 2021.
36. Michael Owen (2001)
Michael Owen (Image credit: Getty Images)
Michael Owen wasn't long into his 20s when he picked up the Ballon d'Or, but he had already firmly established himself as one of the best young players on the planet.
Persistent hamstring problems would somewhat rob him of the career he might have had, but the Liverpool and England legend was simply electric in his heyday.
37. Pavel Nedved (2003)
Pavel Nedved (Image credit: Getty Images)
Pavel Nedved made himself a legend for both Juventus and Czech Republic, and he stands among the most fantastic footballing talents his country has ever produced.
A stylish midfielder, Nedved won the Ballon d'Or after helping Juve to the final of the 2002/03 Champions League – a competition which he's one of the best players never to win.
38. Andriy Shevchenko (2004)
Andriy Shevchenko (Image credit: Getty Images)
Perhaps Ukraine's greatest player of all time, Andriy Shevchenko was one of the most feared centre-forwards in Europe at the beginning of the 21st century.
He racked up 173 goals during a seven-year spell at AC Milan, with whom he won five trophies – including the 2002/03 Champions League and 2003/04 scudetto – and found the net 14 times against bitter rivals Inter.
39. Ronaldinho (2005)
Ronaldinho (Image credit: Getty Images)
An absolute magician with the ball at his feet, Ronaldinho is undeniably one of the most entertaining players there has ever been.
Brazil's 2002 World Cup winner was at his most mesmerising during a five-year stint with Barcelona – where he won the Champions League and scored that toe-poked goal against Chelsea.
40. Fabio Cannavaro (2006)
Fabio Cannavaro lifts the World Cup in 2006 (Image credit: Getty Images)
Having captained Italy to 2006 World Cup glory, Fabio Cannavaro made history by becoming the first out-and-out defender ever to win the Ballon d'Or.
One of the most-capped Italian players of all time and one of the finest centre-halves the game has seen, Cannavaro enjoyed club success at Juventus and Real Madrid – winning league titles with both, although never the Champions League.
41. Kaka (2007)
Kaka (Image credit: Getty Images)
Yet another Ballon d'Or winner from Brazil, Kaka was the best playmaker of the planet at his peak – which he spent turning it on for AC Milan, who he helped to 2006/07 Champions League success.
A 2002 World Cup winner, he later starred for Real Madrid, before returning to Milan then winding down his career by treating MLS crowds to his brilliance at Orlando City.
42. Cristiano Ronaldo (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Image credit: Getty Images)
In Manchester United, Juventus and Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo has played – and scored goals aplenty – for three of the most prestigious clubs in world football.
He won all of his Ballons d'Or with the latter, becoming Real's all-time leading scorer with an extraordinary record of 450 goals in 438 appearances – and winning just the four Champions League titles (having already won one with United).
Is he the GOAT? You can have that debate among yourselves – but Lionel Messi's Ballon d'Or record speaks for itself.
The first player to win the award more than three times, his multiple triumphs in football's ultimate individual prize have complemented a whole heap of team trophies – from four Champions Leagues to his historic 2022 World Cup victory as Argentina captain.
44. Luka Modric (2018)
Luka Modric (Image credit: Getty Images)
The greatest player Croatia have ever had, Luka Modric has defied age to remain an utterly elite midfield string-puller well into ostensibly the twilight of his career.
Also one of Real Madrid's best ever, Modric got his hands on the Ballon d'Or after playing an inspirational role in hos country's run to their first ever World Cup final
45. Karim Benzema (2022)
Karim Benzema (Image credit: Getty Images)
Yet another iconic Real Madrid player who has been bestowed with the honour of the Ballon d'Or, Karim Benzema prolific 2021/22 season saw him scoop the prize.
The Frenchman found the net 44 times in all competitions as Real did a La Liga and Champions League double – something he was a part of twice during his 14 years at the Bernabeu.
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Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
