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Ballon d’Or: Winners By Year

The Ballon D’or award is each year received to the best player of the year. Every player’s dream is to one day win the Ballon d’Or, but very few get the chance to do that.

It’s one of the most prestigious awards in the world, across all sports, so it’s always interesting to look at the past winners. Below is a breakdown of all the Ballon d’Or winners, from the first award in 1956 to the most recent one.

Before going through each year’s winner, here are the players with the most Ballon d’Or awards.

Here are all the Ballon d’Or winners, from the start in 1956 to the most recent one.

YearPlayerClub
2022Karim BenzemaReal Madrid
2021Lionel MessiParis Saint Germain FC
2020Not Awarded
2019Lionel MessiFC Barcelona
2018Luka ModricReal Madrid
2017Cristiano RonaldoReal Madrid
2016Cristiano RonaldoReal Madrid
2015Lionel MessiFC Barcelona
2014Cristiano RonaldoReal Madrid
2013Cristiano RonaldoReal Madrid
2012Lionel MessiFC Barcelona
2011Lionel MessiFC Barcelona
2010Lionel MessiFC Barcelona
2009Lionel MessiFC Barcelona
2008Cristiano RonaldoManchester United
2007Kaká AC Milan
2006Fabio CannavaroReal Madrid
2005RonaldinhoFC Barcelona
2004Andriy ShevchenkoAC Milan
2003Pavel NedvědJuventus FC
2002Ronaldo (R9)Real Madrid
2001Michael OwenLiverpool FC
2000Luís FigoReal Madrid
1999RivaldoFC Barcelona
1998Zinedine ZidaneJuventus FC
1997Ronaldo (R9)Inter Milan
1996Matthias SammerBorussia Dortmund
1995George WeahAC Milan
1994Hristo StoichkovFC Barcelona
1993Roberto Baggio Juventus FC
1992Marco van BastenAC Milan
1991Jean-Pierre PapinOlympique Marseille
1990Lothar MatthäusInter Milan
1989Marco van BastenAC Milan
1988Marco van BastenAC Milan
1987Ruud GullitAC Milan
1986Igor BelanovDynamo Kyiv
1985Michel PlatiniJuventus FC
1984Michel PlatiniJuventus FC
1983Michel PlatiniJuventus FC
1982Paolo RossiJuventus FC
1981Karl-Heinz RummeniggeBayern Munich
1980Karl-Heinz RummeniggeBayern Munich
1979Kevin KeeganHamburger SV
1978Kevin KeeganHamburger SV
1977Allan SimonsenBorussia Mönchengladbach
1976Franz BeckenbauerBayern Munich
1975Oleg BlokhinDynamo Kyiv
1974Johan CruyffFC Barcelona
1973Johan CruyffFC Barcelona
1972Franz BeckenbauerBayern Munich
1971Johan CruyffAFC Ajax
1970Gerd MüllerBayern Munich
1969Gianni RiveraAC Milan
1968George BestManchester United
1967Flórián AlbertFerencv rosi TC
1966Bobby CharltonManchester United
1965EusébioSL Benfica
1964Denis LawManchester United
1963Lev YashinDynamo Moscow
1962Josef MasopustDukla Prague
1961Omar SívoriJuventus FC
1960Luis SuárezFC Barcelona
1959Alfredo Di StéfanoReal Madrid
1958Raymond KopaReal Madrid
1957Alfredo Di StéfanoReal Madrid
1956Stanley MatthewsBlackpool FC