Ballon d Or Award Winners List (1956-2022): Karim Benzema is the most recent Ballon d’Or 2022 award winner. Lionel Messi, football’s most successful player, has won the Ballon d’Or award seven times between 1956 and 2021, while Cristiano Ronaldo has won it five times. However, it was only open to European players at European clubs until 1995. The Ballon d’Or award was frequently referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award. In 1995, the rules were changed to allow non-European players who played for a European club to be eligible for the award. Since 2007, any football player from any country has been eligible to win the award.
The Ballon d’Or and FIFA Player of the Year awards were merged between 2009 and 2015 to form the FIFA Ballon d’Or. The first women’s Ballon d’Or award (called the Ballon d’Or Féminin) was presented in 2018. The award was merged with the FIFA Player of the Year award after 2009. France Football announced in 2016 that their partnership with FIFA was ending and that they would resurrect the Ballon d’Or award, with the 2016 edition becoming the 61st award. But there was no award in 2020 due to the disruption to world sports caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Let’s take a look at the complete list of Ballon d Or award winners (from 1956-2022).
Men’s Ballon d’Or Award Winners From 1956-2022
| Year | Player | Nationality | Football Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Karim Benzema | France | Real Madrid |
| 2021 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) |
| 2020 | Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this award was not given. | ||
| 2019 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2018 | Luka Modric | Croatia | Real Madrid |
| 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2015 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2012 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2011 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2010 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2009 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Manchester United |
| 2007 | Kaká | Brazil | Milan |
| 2006 | Fabio Cannavaro | Italy | Real Madrid |
| 2005 | Ronaldinho | Brazil | Barcelona |
| 2004 | Andriy Shevchenko | Ukraine | Milan |
| 2003 | Pavel Nedvěd | Czech Republic | Juventus |
| 2002 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Real Madrid |
| 2001 | Michael Owen | England | Liverpool |
| 2000 | Luís Figo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 1999 | Rivaldo | Brazil | Barcelona |
| 1998 | Zinedine Zidane | France | Juventus |
| 1997 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Internazionale |
| 1996 | Matthias Sammer | Germany | Borussia Dortmund |
| 1995 | George Weah | Liberia | Milan |
| 1994 | Hristo Stoichkov | Bulgaria | Barcelona |
| 1993 | Roberto Baggio | Italy | Juventus |
| 1992 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1991 | Jean-Pierre Papin | France | Marseille |
| 1990 | Lothar Matthäus | Germany | Internazionale |
| 1989 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1988 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1987 | Ruud Gullit | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1986 | Igor Belanov | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1985 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1984 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1983 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italy | Juventus |
| 1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1979 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburg |
| 1978 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburg |
| 1977 | Allan Simonsen | Denmark | Borussia Mönchengladbach II |
| 1976 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1975 | Oleg Blokhin | Soviet Union | FC Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1974 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Barcelona |
| 1973 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Barcelona |
| 1972 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1971 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | AFC Ajax |
| 1970 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1969 | Gianni Rivera | Italy | A.C. Milan |
| 1968 | George Best | Northern Ireland | Manchester United |
| 1967 | Flórián Albert | Hungary | Ferencvárosi TC |
| 1966 | Bobby Charlton | England | Manchester United |
| 1965 | Eusébio | Portugal | S.L. Benfica |
| 1964 | Denis Law | Scotland | Manchester United |
| 1963 | Lev Yashin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Moscow |
| 1962 | Josef Masopust | Czechoslovakia | Dukla Prague |
| 1961 | Omar Sívori | Italy | Juventus |
| 1960 | Luis Suárez | Spain | Barcelona |
| 1959 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain | Real Madrid |
| 1958 | Raymond Kopa | France | Real Madrid |
| 1957 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain | Real Madrid |
| 1956 | Stanley Matthews | England | Blackpool |
Women’s Ballon d Or (Ballon d’Or Féminin) Award Winners (2018-2022).
Alexia Putellas (Ballon d’Or 2022 Winner)
Alexia Putellas became the third female football player to win the Women’s Ballon d’Or 2022 after a treble-winning season for Barcelona. The Spanish midfielder was a key figure in Barcelona’s treble-winning season, helping the club win the Women’s Champions League, Primera Iberdrola, and Copa de la Reina. Alexia Putellas was the best football player on an excellent Barcelona team in the 2021 season, contributing 37 goals and 27 assists.
Megan Rapinoe Ballon d’Or 2019 Winner.
After leading the United States to the World Cup title in July, the American forward footballer won the Women’s Ballon d’Or in 2019. Megan Rapinoe scored 6 goals in the tournament, earning the Golden Boot as the tournament’s leading goal scorer and the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best football player.
Ada Hegerberg Ballon d’Or 2018 Winner.
Ada Hegerberg of Olympique Lyonnais won the Ballon d’Or after scoring 53 goals in 33 appearances for the club. Also, Hegerberg’s 31 league goals made her the top scorer in D1 Féminine for the third year in a row, while her 15 Champions League goals set a new competition record, surpassing her previous best of 14 goals. The Norway captain led her team to the Women’s Champions League title, scoring in extra time in the final 4-1 victory over Vfl Wolfsburg.
| Year | Player | Nationality | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Alexia Putellas | Spain | Barcelona |
| 2021 | Alexia Putellas | Spain | Barcelona |
| 2020 | Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this award was not given. | ||
| 2019 | Megan Rapinoe | USA | Reign FC |
| 2018 | Ada Hegerberg | Norway | Olympique Lyonnais |
How Much Is The Ballon d’Or Worth | Ballon d’Or Winner Prize Money?
The current Ballon d’Or has very specific characteristics that make it appealing to players; it is 28 cm tall, 22 cm wide, and weighs around 12 kg, with two brass plates embossed to give them the shape of a ball. The Ballon d’Or award, which is worth slightly more than 3,000 euros, consists of a sphere filled with a wax-like material that is chiseled to give the shape and seam of the spherical representation. It is then dipped in fine gold and engraved with the France Football logo and the winner’s name. The winner of the award receives USD 20,000 in prize money, according to FIFA. The Ballon d’Or is worth approximately Rs. 14,89,680.00 in Indian Rupees.
Who has the most golden boots?
Lionel Messi holds the record for golden boot winners, having won it 6 times in his career, more than any other footballer. However, he also holds the record for the most goals scored in a calendar year and the most points in a single season (2011-2012).
Also, Check out: Who Has The Highest Goals In A Calendar Year? | All-time Rankings.
Conclusion
This is our exclusive list of the ballon d or award winners from 1956 to 2022. This list of ballon d or award winners is updated based on Wikipedia.org. We hope you enjoyed reading about the ballon d or award winners. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below. The information on this page is subject to change at any time. Our website makes no guarantees about the accuracy of the information.
