Ballon D’Or Winners From 1956 To 2024: A Complete Roll Call Of Football’s Greatest Legends

The Ballon d’Or, widely regarded as football’s most prestigious individual honour, has stood for nearly seven decades as the pinnacle of recognition for brilliance on the pitch.

Since its introduction in 1956, the award has shaped football history, with the names of the sport’s greatest icons forever etched into its legacy. Blackpool’s Stanley Matthews became the first recipient, while Real Madrid legends Alfredo Di Stéfano and Raymond Kopa set the tone in the competition’s early years. Football royalty such as Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, George Best, and Michel Platini went on to dominate in different eras, leaving their mark on the game.

In the modern era, the Ballon d’Or has been defined by the fierce rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The pair reigned supreme for over a decade, with Messi setting the record as the most decorated player in the award’s history with eight titles, while Ronaldo followed closely with five.

Other exceptional stars, including Luka Modrić, Karim Benzema, and most recently Manchester City midfielder Rodri—who clinched the 2024 prize after leading his side to a treble-winning season—have also broken through to claim football’s highest personal accolade.

Recognising the rapid rise of the women’s game, France Football introduced the Ballon d’Or Féminin in 2018. Norway’s Ada Hegerberg claimed the historic inaugural award, followed by U.S. forward Megan Rapinoe in 2019. Spain’s Alexia Putellas secured back-to-back wins in 2021 and 2022, before her compatriot Aitana Bonmatí extended Spain’s dominance with consecutive triumphs in 2023 and 2024.

With its mix of debate, controversy, and unrivalled prestige, the Ballon d’Or continues to stand as the ultimate individual prize in football, immortalising the brilliance of players across generations.

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)