The Ballon d’Or is a prestigious annual football award that has been presented to some of the biggest names in the sport. Legends like Johan Cruyff, Eusébio, Gerd Müller, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi have all won the Golden Ball, which honors the best player of the season. Messi currently holds the record for the most Ballon d’Ors with seven, while Cristiano Ronaldo has the most nominations with 18. Created by French news magazine France Football, the Ballon d’Or has been awarded every year since 1956, except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018, the Ballon d’Or Féminin was introduced, and Norway’s Ada Hegerberg became the first-ever recipient. Let’s take a look at the complete list of Ballon d’Or winners.
Ballon d’Or Men:
2022: Karim Benzema (France)
2021: Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2020: Not awarded due to the 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 COVID-19 pandemic
2019 (Ballon d’Or Féminin): Megan Rapinoe (United States)
2018 (Ballon d’Or Féminin): Ada Hegerberg (Norway)