Full List of Every Football Player Who Has Won the Ballon d’Or

The Ballon d’Or is the biggest prize a football player can win on their own. It is given every year to the best footballer in the world. The award started in 1956, created by France Football magazine. Since then, it has become the dream of almost every football player.

About 100 journalists from different countries vote each year. They don’t look at a player’s whole career. Instead, they only judge how good the player was in that season, how well they played, the trophies they won with their team, and if they showed fair play.

The very first Ballon d’Or was won in 1956 by Sir Stanley Matthews from England. Almost 70 years later, the award is still running strong. The two most famous winners are Lionel Messi, who has lifted it eight times, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who has five. For almost ten years, from 2008 to 2017, no one else could win it except these two legends.

In 2018, the women’s version of the Ballon d’Or was introduced to celebrate the best female footballers in the world. Since then, stars like Ada Hegerberg, Megan Rapinoe, and Alexia Putellas have also won. Here is the full list of all the winners:

Men’s Ballon d’Or Winners

• 2024: Rodri (Spain)
  
• 2023: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
  
• 2022: Karim Benzema (France)
  
• 2021: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
  
• 2020: No award
  
• 2019: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
  
• 2018: Luka Modric (Croatia)
  
• 2017: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
  
• 2016: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
  
• 2015: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
  
• 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
  
• 2013: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
  
• 2012: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
  
• 2011: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
  
• 2010: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
  
• 2009: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
  
• 2008: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
  
• 2007: Kaká (Brazil)
  
• 2006: Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
  
• 2005: Ronaldinho (Brazil)
  
• 2004: Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine)
  
• 2003: Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic)
  
• 2002: Ronaldo (Brazil)
  
• 2001: Michael Owen (England)
  
• 2000: Luís Figo (Portugal)
  
• 1999: Rivaldo (Brazil)
  
• 1998: Zinedine Zidane (France)
  
• 1997: Ronaldo (Brazil)
  
• 1996: Matthias Sammer (Germany)
  
• 1995: George Weah (Liberia)
  
• 1994: Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)
  
• 1993: Roberto Baggio (Italy)
  
• 1992: Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
  
• 1991: Jean-Pierre Papin (France)
  
• 1990: Lothar Matthäus (Germany)
  
• 1989: Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
  
• 1988: Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
  
• 1987: Ruud Gullit (Netherlands)
  
• 1986: Igor Belanov (Ukraine)
  
• 1985: Michel Platini (France)
  
• 1984: Michel Platini (France)
  
• 1983: Michel Platini (France)
  
• 1982: Paolo Rossi (Italy)
  
• 1981: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany)
  
• 1980: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany)
  
• 1979: Kevin Keegan (England)
  
• 1978: Kevin Keegan (England)
  
• 1977: Allan Simonsen (Denmark)
  
• 1976: Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
  
• 1975: Oleg Blokhin (Ukraine)
  
• 1974: Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
  
• 1973: Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
  
• 1972: Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
  
• 1971: Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
  
• 1970: Gerd Müller (Germany)
  
• 1969: Gianni Rivera (Italy)
  
• 1968: George Best (Northern Ireland)
  
• 1967: Flórián Albert (Hungary)
  
• 1966: Bobby Charlton (England)
  
• 1965: Eusébio (Portugal)
  
• 1964: Denis Law (Scotland)
  
• 1963: Lev Yashin (Soviet Union)
  
• 1962: Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia)
  
• 1961: Omar Sívori (Argentina/Italy)
  
• 1960: Luis Suárez (Spain)
  
• 1959: Alfredo Di Stéfano (Spain/Argentina)
  
• 1958: Raymond Kopa (France)
  
• 1957: Alfredo Di Stéfano (Spain/Argentina)
  
• 1956: Stanley Matthews (England)
  

Women’s Ballon d’Or Winners

• 2024: Aitana Bonmatí (Spain)
  
• 2023: Aitana Bonmatí (Spain)
  
• 2022: Alexia Putellas (Spain)
  
• 2021: Alexia Putellas (Spain)
  
• 2020: No award
  
• 2019: Megan Rapinoe (USA)
  
• 2018: Ada Hegerberg (Norway)
  

The Ballon d’Or is more than just a golden ball. It tells the story of football legends across time, from Stanley Matthews in 1956 to Rodri in 2024, and many more to come.