Top 10 Best Ballon d’Or Winners

The Ballon d’Or has been awarded by the French magazine France Football each year since 1956, except for the 2020 edition which was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The “Golden Ball” is awarded to the best player of the previous season. 

It is regarded as the most prestigious indicator award in world football. It is also one of the most expensive trophies in world football. England’s Stanley Matthews was the first recipient of the award. Some of the best footballers in history have lifted the award, the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Alfredo Di Stefano, Lev Yashin, Eusebio, George Best, Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Ruud Gullit and Zinedine Zidane. 

Until 2018, the Ballon d’Or was only awarded for men’s football. But in 2018, Ada Hegerberg received the inaugural Ballon d’Or Feminin award. 

In this article, we concentrate on the men’s Ballon d’Or award and take a look at the top 10 best players to receive the prestigious prize.

10. Lev Yashin

Kicking off the list is Soviet footballing legend Lev Yashin. To this day, Yashin remains the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d’Or award (1963). Nicknamed the "Black Spider" or the "Black Panther", Yashin was in a league of his own, saving a total of 151 penalties and kept over 270 clean sheets in his legendary career. 

In 2018, French Football introduced the “Yashin Trophy” to recognise the best goalkeeper each year. 

9. Karl-Heinz Rummeinigge 

Bayern Munich and German legend Karl-Heinz Rummeinigge won two Ballon d’Or awards in his career in successive years (1980 and 1981). He won three Bundesliga Golden Boot awards in his career, while also winning two league titles, two European Cups, and one UEFA Euro title with his national team Germany. 

8. Alfredo Di Stefano 

The late Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano is regarded as one of the most lethal strikers in football history. He won two Ballon d’Or titles in his career (1957 and 1959). He held the record for the most Champions League titles in history with five to his name, but the record was broken by a few players in 2024. 

The Real Madrid legend also won five Golden Boots in the Spanish top-division and eight league titles with the club. At the same time, he remains the only player to be awarded the “Super Ballon d’Or” after voting from viewers and readers. He was handed the award on 24 December 1989. 

7. Ronaldo Nazario 

‘R9’ Ronaldo or ‘Brazilian’ Ronaldo or sometimes also regarded as the ‘original’ Ronaldo is regarded as the most technically gifted player of all time. But his career was massively hindered by constant injuries. Despite the injury setbacks, the Brazilian star won two FIFA World Cup titles and two Ballon d’Or awards (1997 and 2002). 

Ronaldo Nazario is also one of only a few players to play for both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, while also featuring for both Inter Milan and AC Milan at some part of his career. 

6. Franz Beckenbauer 

Nicknamed der Kaiser ("the Emperor"), Franz Beckenbauer is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in football history. He is also remembered as the father of the sweeper defender role that is still used to this day and plays a key role in modern football. 

He spent the majority of his career with FC Bayern Munich, winning three Champions League titles, and five Bundesliga titles. He also won the FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euros with his national team Germany. He won two Ballon d’Or awards in his career (1972 and 1976). 

5. Marco van Basten 

Marco van Basten would have been regarded as one of the best players of all time had it not been for unfortunate injuries. The Dutch forward was forced to retire at the tender age of 30 due to an ankle injury that he had struggled with from his early 20s. He had multiple surgeries for the same, missing two seasons due to the same. 

Despite the injury issues, Marco van Basten won three Ballon d’Or awards (1988, 1989 and 1992). He won the UEFA Euros with his Dutch national team, while also winning two Champions League titles with AC Milan. 

Marco van Basten is one of only five players in history to have won the Ballon d’Or three times or more. 

4. Johan Cruyff 

Johan Cruyff can be regarded as one of the only to have excelled both as a player and on the touchline as a manager. Often regarded as one of the fathers of the “total football” philosophy, Johan Cruyff’s influence is still big in modern football. 

Talking about his playing career, he won three European club trophies with Ajax, nine Dutch top-division titles and one LaLiga title with FC Barcelona. He also won three Ballon d’Or awards (1971, 1973 and 1974) and is regarded as one of the best players to be awarded the prestigious prize. 

3. Michel Platini 

While many younger fans may think of Michel Platini as the former UEFA president, the former generations labelled him as one of the greatest midfielders of all time. The French legend won three consecutive Ballon d’Or awards in 1983, 1984 and 1985. 

He won one UEFA Euro title with France, one Champions League title and two Serie A titles with Juventus. 

2. Lionel Messi 

Lionel Messi is often regarded as the greatest footballer of all time. He holds the record for the most trophies (45) in football history, while he also holds the record for the most Ballon d’Or trophies in football history. He won the award in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023. 

The Argentine superstar achieved his football destiny in 2022 when he lifted the FIFA World Cup trophy. Most of his Ballon d’Or trophies came while he was featuring for FC Barcelona. Now at the tail end of his career, Messi currently plays for Major League Soccer side Inter Miami.