BREAKING: Lionel Messi Leads As Full List Of Ballon d’Or Winners From 1956 To 2024 Emerged
The Ballon d’Or, football’s most prestigious individual award, has stood for nearly seven decades as the ultimate recognition of brilliance on the pitch.
The Ballon d’Or has shaped football history since it was introduced in 1956, with some of the game’s greatest names etched into its legacy.
Blackpool’s Stanley Matthews became the first winner in 1956, while Real Madrid icons Alfredo Di Stéfano and Raymond Kopa dominated the early years. Legends like Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, George Best, and Michel Platini later defined different eras.
In modern times, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo turned the Ballon d’Or into a two-man rivalry that spanned more than a decade. Messi, with a record eight titles, remains the most decorated player in Ballon d’Or history. Cristiano Ronaldo follows with five.
Luka Modrić, Karim Benzema, and most recently Manchester City’s Rodri, who lifted the 2024 prize after a treble-winning campaign, are among those who broke their dominance.
Recognising the growing power of women’s football, France Football introduced the Ballon d’Or Féminin in 2018. Ada Hegerberg won the historic first edition, followed by U.S. star Megan Rapinoe in 2019. Spain’s Alexia Putellas went back-to-back in 2021 and 2022, before Aitana Bonmatí carried the torch in 2023 and 2024.
With debates, rivalries, and moments of controversy, the Ballon d’Or remains football’s ultimate personal accolade, celebrating brilliance and defining legacies.
Below is the complete list of Ballon d’Or winners:
Men’s Ballon d’Or winners
1956 – Stanley Matthews (Blackpool / England)
1957 – Alfredo Di Stéfano (Real Madrid / Spain-Argentina)
1958 – Raymond Kopa (Real Madrid / France)
1959 – Alfredo Di Stéfano (Real Madrid / Spain-Argentina)
1960 – Luis Suárez (Barcelona / Spain)
1961 – Omar Sívori (Juventus / Italy-Argentina)
1962 – Josef Masopust (Dukla Prague / Czechoslovakia)
1963 – Lev Yashin (Dynamo Moscow / USSR)
1964 – Denis Law (Manchester United / Scotland)
1965 – Eusébio (Benfica / Portugal)
1966 – Bobby Charlton (Manchester United / England)
1967 – Florian Albert (Ferencváros / Hungary)
1968 – George Best (Manchester United / Northern Ireland)
1969 – Gianni Rivera (AC Milan / Italy)
1970 – Gerd Müller (Bayern Munich / West Germany)
1971 – Johan Cruyff (Ajax / Netherlands)
1972 – Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Munich / West Germany)
1973 – Johan Cruyff (Barcelona / Netherlands)
1974 – Johan Cruyff (Barcelona / Netherlands)
1975 – Oleg Blokhin (Dynamo Kyiv / USSR)
1976 – Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Munich / West Germany)
1977 – Allan Simonsen (Borussia Mönchengladbach / Denmark)
1978 – Kevin Keegan (Hamburg / England)
1979 – Kevin Keegan (Hamburg / England)
1980 – Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich / West Germany)
1981 – Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich / West Germany)
1982 – Paolo Rossi (Juventus / Italy)
1983 – Michel Platini (Juventus / France)
1984 – Michel Platini (Juventus / France)
1985 – Michel Platini (Juventus / France)
1986 – Igor Belanov (Dynamo Kyiv / USSR)
1987 – Ruud Gullit (AC Milan / Netherlands)
1988 – Marco van Basten (AC Milan / Netherlands)
1989 – Marco van Basten (AC Milan / Netherlands)
1990 – Lothar Matthäus (Inter Milan / West Germany)
1991 – Jean-Pierre Papin (Marseille / France)
1992 – Marco van Basten (AC Milan / Netherlands)
1993 – Roberto Baggio (Juventus / Italy)
1994 – Hristo Stoichkov (Barcelona / Bulgaria)
1995 – George Weah (AC Milan / Liberia)
1996 – Matthias Sammer (Borussia Dortmund / Germany)
1997 – Ronaldo Nazário (Inter Milan / Brazil)
1998 – Zinedine Zidane (Juventus / France)
1999 – Rivaldo (Barcelona / Brazil)
2000 – Luís Figo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2001 – Michael Owen (Liverpool / England)
2002 – Ronaldo Nazário (Real Madrid / Brazil)
2003 – Pavel Nedvěd (Juventus / Czech Republic)
2004 – Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan / Ukraine)
2005 – Ronaldinho (Barcelona / Brazil)
2006 – Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid / Italy)
2007 – Kaká (AC Milan / Brazil)
2008 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United / Portugal)
2009 – Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2010 – Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2011 – Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2012 – Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2013 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2014 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2015 – Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2016 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2017 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2018 – Luka Modrić (Real Madrid / Croatia)
2019 – Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2020 – Not awarded (COVID-19)
2021 – Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain / Argentina)
2022 – Karim Benzema (Real Madrid / France)
2023 – Lionel Messi (Inter Miami / Argentina)
2024 – Rodri (Manchester City / Spain)
Women’s Ballon d’Or (Ballon d’Or Féminin) winners
2018 – Ada Hegerberg (Lyon / Norway)
2019 – Megan Rapinoe (Reign FC / USA)
2020 – Not awarded (COVID-19)
2021 – Alexia Putellas (Barcelona / Spain)
2022 – Alexia Putellas (Barcelona / Spain)
2023 – Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
2024 – Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
