Ballon d’Or winners - Complete list

Since its inception in 1956, the prestigious annual football award has been presented to some of the biggest names in the sport. Discover all the winners below, including the Ballon d'Or Feminin.

Lionel Messi holds the record of most Ballon d'or wins.

(2021 Getty Images)

Football legends Johan Cruyff, Eusébio, Gerd Müller, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have all won the prestigious Ballon d'Or or ‘Golden Ball’, which honours the best player of the season.

Messi currently holds the record for most Ballon d'Ors with seven, while five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo has the most nominations with 18.

The Ballon d’Or has been awarded every year since 1956, except 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stanley Matthews of England was the first-ever player to receive the prize, which was created by French news magazine France Football.

In 2018, the Ballon d'Or Féminin was awarded for the first time, with Norway’s Ada Hegerberg being the inaugural recipient.

Find the full list of Ballon d’Or winners below.

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Ballon d’Or winners - Complete list

Year Winner

BALLON d'OR MEN

2022 Karim Benzema (France)

2021 Lionel Messi (Argentian)

2020 Not awarded due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic

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 Nedvěd (Czechia)

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 (Soviet Union)

1985 Michel Platini (France)

1984 Michel Platini (France)

1983 Michel Platini (France)

1982 Paolo Rossi (Italy)

1981 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)

1980 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany)

1979 Kevin Keegan (England)

1978 Kevin Keegan (England)

1977 Allan Simonsen (Denmark)

1976 Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)

1975 Oleg Blokhin (Soviet Union)

1974 Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)

1973 Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)

1972 Franz Beckenbauer (West Germany)

1971 Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)

1970 Gerd Müller (West 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 (Italy)

1960 Luis Suárez (Spain)

1959 Alfredo Di Stéfano (Argentina)

1958 Raymond Kopa (France)

1957 Alfredo Di Stéfano (Argentina)

1956 Stanley Matthews (England)

BALLON d'OR WOMEN

2022 (Ballon d'Or Féminin) Alexia Putellas (Spain)

2021 (Ballon d'Or Féminin) Alexia Putellas (Spain)

2020 (Ballon d'Or Féminin) Not awarded due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic

2019 (Ballon d'Or Féminin) Megan Rapinoe (United States)

2018 (Ballon d'Or Féminin) Ada Hegerberg (Norway)