Ballon d'Or - wikipedia Ballon d'Or Michel Platini, pictured with the 1985 Ballon d'Or, won the award three times in succession. The Ballon d'Or ( French pronunciation : ​ ( balɔ̃ dɔʁ ) ; `` Golden Ball '' ), is an annual football award presented by France Football. It has been awarded since 1956, although between 2010 and 2015, an agreement was made with FIFA and the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year, and known as the FIFA Ballon d'Or, but the partnership was ended in 2016 and the award been reversed back to Ballon d'Or while FIFA also renamed its traditional award. Conceived by sports writer Gabriel Hanot, the Ballon d'Or award honours the male player deemed to have performed the best over the previous year, based on voting by football journalists. Originally, only European players were in contention for the Ballon d'Or : in 1995 the award was expanded to include all players at European clubs and in 2007 to all players from around the world. Contents 1 History 2 Winners 2.1 Wins by player 2.2 Wins by country 2.3 Wins by club 3 Additional awards 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links History Stanley Matthews of Blackpool was the inaugural winner of the Ballon d'Or. Prior to 1995, the award was often known in English language media as the `` European Footballer of the Year '' award. Milan 's George Weah, the only African recipient, became the first non-European to win the award in the year the rules of eligibility were changed. Ronaldo of Internazionale became the first South American winner two years later. Three players have won the award three times each : Johan Cruyff of Ajax and Barcelona, Michel Platini of Juventus and Marco van Basten of Milan, while Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid has won four and Lionel Messi of Barcelona has won five. With seven awards each, Dutch and German players won the most Ballons d'Or. Spanish club Barcelona had the most winners. Between 2010 and 2015 inclusive the award was merged with a similar award, the FIFA World Player of the Year award, to create the FIFA Ballon d'Or, which was awarded to the world 's best male player, before FIFA and France Football broke the merging agreement. After 2011, UEFA created the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award to maintain the format of the original Ballon d'Or. Winners Key Indicates player also won the FIFA World Player of the Year ( 1991 -- 2009 ) or The Best FIFA Men 's Player ( 2016 -- present ) in the same year Cristiano Ronaldo ( left ) and Lionel Messi, won four and five awards respectively. Year Rank Player Team Points Ballon d'Or ( 1956 -- 2009 ) 1956 1st Stanley Matthews Blackpool 47 2nd Alfredo Di Stéfano Real Madrid 44 3rd Raymond Kopa Real Madrid 33 1957 1st Alfredo Di Stéfano Real Madrid 72 2nd Billy Wright Wolverhampton Wanderers 19 3rd Duncan Edwards Manchester United 16 Raymond Kopa Real Madrid 1958 1st Raymond Kopa Real Madrid 71 2nd Helmut Rahn Rot - Weiss Essen 40 3rd Just Fontaine Stade de Reims 23 1959 1st Alfredo Di Stéfano Real Madrid 80 2nd Raymond Kopa Real Madrid 42 3rd John Charles Juventus 24 1960 1st Luis Suárez Barcelona 54 2nd Ferenc Puskás Real Madrid 37 3rd Uwe Seeler Hamburg 33 1961 1st Omar Sívori Juventus 46 2nd Luis Suárez Internazionale 40 3rd Johnny Haynes Fulham 22 1962 1st Josef Masopust Dukla Prague 65 2nd Eusébio Benfica 53 3rd Karl - Heinz Schnellinger Köln 33 1963 1st Lev Yashin Dynamo Moscow 73 2nd Gianni Rivera Milan 53 3rd Jimmy Greaves Tottenham Hotspur 33 1964 1st Denis Law Manchester United 61 2nd Luis Suárez Internazionale 43 3rd Amancio Real Madrid 38 1965 1st Eusébio Benfica 67 2nd Giacinto Facchetti Internazionale 59 3rd Luis Suárez Internazionale 45 1966 1st Bobby Charlton Manchester United 81 2nd Eusébio Benfica 80 3rd Franz Beckenbauer Bayern Munich 59 1967 1st Flórián Albert Ferencváros 68 2nd Bobby Charlton Manchester United 40 3rd Jimmy Johnstone Celtic 39 1968 1st George Best Manchester United 61 2nd Bobby Charlton Manchester United 53 3rd Dragan Džajić Red Star Belgrade 46 1969 1st Gianni Rivera Milan 83 2nd Luigi Riva Cagliari 79 3rd Gerd Müller Bayern Munich 38 1970 1st Gerd Müller Bayern Munich 77 2nd Bobby Moore West Ham United 70 3rd Luigi Riva Cagliari 65 1971 1st Johan Cruyff Ajax 116 2nd Sandro Mazzola Internazionale 57 3rd George Best Manchester United 56 1972 1st Franz Beckenbauer Bayern Munich 81 2nd Gerd Müller Bayern Munich 79 Günter Netzer Borussia Mönchengladbach 1973 1st Johan Cruyff Barcelona 96 2nd Dino Zoff Juventus 47 3rd Gerd Müller Bayern Munich 44 1st Johan Cruyff Barcelona 116 2nd Franz Beckenbauer Bayern Munich 105 3rd Kazimierz Deyna Legia Warsaw 35 1st Oleg Blokhin Dynamo Kyiv 122 2nd Franz Beckenbauer Bayern Munich 42 3rd Johan Cruyff Barcelona 27 1976 1st Franz Beckenbauer Bayern Munich 91 2nd Rob Rensenbrink Anderlecht 75 3rd Ivo Viktor Dukla Prague 52 1977 1st Allan Simonsen Borussia Mönchengladbach 74 2nd Kevin Keegan Hamburg 71 3rd Michel Platini Nancy 70 1978 1st Kevin Keegan Hamburg 87 2nd Hans Krankl Barcelona 81 3rd Rob Rensenbrink Anderlecht 50 1979 1st Kevin Keegan Hamburg 118 2nd Karl - Heinz Rummenigge Bayern Munich 52 3rd Ruud Krol Ajax 41 1980 1st Karl - Heinz Rummenigge Bayern Munich 122 2nd Bernd Schuster Barcelona 34 3rd Michel Platini Saint - Étienne 33 1981 1st Karl - Heinz Rummenigge Bayern Munich 106 2nd Paul Breitner Bayern Munich 64 3rd Bernd Schuster Barcelona 39 1982 1st Paolo Rossi Juventus 115 2nd Alain Giresse Bordeaux 64 3rd Zbigniew Boniek Juventus 39 1st Michel Platini Juventus 110 2nd Kenny Dalglish Liverpool 26 3rd Allan Simonsen Vejle 25 1984 1st Michel Platini Juventus 110 2nd Jean Tigana Bordeaux 57 3rd Preben Elkjær Hellas Verona 48 1985 1st Michel Platini Juventus 127 2nd Preben Elkjær Hellas Verona 71 3rd Bernd Schuster Barcelona 46 1986 1st Igor Belanov Dynamo Kyiv 84 2nd Gary Lineker Barcelona 62 3rd Emilio Butragueño Real Madrid 59 1st Ruud Gullit Milan 106 2nd Paulo Futre Atlético Madrid 91 3rd Emilio Butragueño Real Madrid 61 1988 1st Marco van Basten Milan 129 2nd Ruud Gullit Milan 88 3rd Frank Rijkaard Milan 45 1989 1st Marco van Basten Milan 129 2nd Franco Baresi Milan 80 3rd Frank Rijkaard Milan 43 1990 1st Lothar Matthäus Internazionale 137 2nd Salvatore Schillaci Juventus 84 3rd Andreas Brehme Internazionale 68 1991 1st Jean - Pierre Papin Marseille 141 2nd Dejan Savićević Red Star Belgrade 42 Darko Pančev Red Star Belgrade Lothar Matthäus Internazionale 1992 1st Marco van Basten Milan 98 2nd Hristo Stoichkov Barcelona 80 3rd Dennis Bergkamp Ajax 53 1993 1st Roberto Baggio Juventus 142 2nd Dennis Bergkamp Internazionale 83 3rd Eric Cantona Manchester United 34 1994 1st Hristo Stoichkov Barcelona 210 2nd Roberto Baggio Juventus 136 3rd Paolo Maldini Milan 109 1995 1st George Weah Milan 144 2nd Jürgen Klinsmann Bayern Munich 108 3rd Jari Litmanen Ajax 67 1st Matthias Sammer Borussia Dortmund 144 2nd Ronaldo Barcelona 143 3rd Alan Shearer Newcastle United 107 1997 1st Ronaldo Internazionale 222 2nd Predrag Mijatović Real Madrid 68 3rd Zinedine Zidane Juventus 63 1998 1st Zinedine Zidane Juventus 244 2nd Davor Šuker Real Madrid 68 3rd Ronaldo Internazionale 66 1999 1st Rivaldo Barcelona 219 2nd David Beckham Manchester United 154 3rd Andriy Shevchenko Milan 64 2000 1st Luís Figo Real Madrid 197 2nd Zinedine Zidane Juventus 181 3rd Andriy Shevchenko Milan 85 2001 1st Michael Owen Liverpool 176 2nd Raúl Real Madrid 140 3rd Oliver Kahn Bayern Munich 114 2002 1st Ronaldo Real Madrid 169 2nd Roberto Carlos Real Madrid 145 3rd Oliver Kahn Bayern Munich 110 2003 1st Pavel Nedvěd Juventus 190 2nd Thierry Henry Arsenal 128 3rd Paolo Maldini Milan 123 1st Andriy Shevchenko Milan 175 2nd Deco Porto 139 3rd Ronaldinho Barcelona 133 2005 1st Ronaldinho Barcelona 225 2nd Frank Lampard Chelsea 148 3rd Steven Gerrard Liverpool 142 2006 1st Fabio Cannavaro Real Madrid 173 2nd Gianluigi Buffon Juventus 124 3rd Thierry Henry Arsenal 121 2007 1st Kaká Milan 444 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United 277 3rd Lionel Messi Barcelona 255 2008 1st Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United 446 2nd Lionel Messi Barcelona 281 3rd Fernando Torres Liverpool 179 2009 1st Lionel Messi Barcelona 473 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid 233 3rd Xavi Barcelona 170 FIFA Ballon d'Or ( 2010 -- 2015 ) 1st Lionel Messi Barcelona 22.65 % 2nd Andrés Iniesta Barcelona 17.36 % 3rd Xavi Barcelona 16.48 % 2011 1st Lionel Messi Barcelona 47.88 % 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid 21.60 % 3rd Xavi Barcelona 9.23 % 2012 1st Lionel Messi Barcelona 41.60 % 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid 23.68 % 3rd Andrés Iniesta Barcelona 10.91 % 2013 1st Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid 27.99 % 2nd Lionel Messi Barcelona 24.72 % 3rd Franck Ribéry Bayern Munich 23.36 % 2014 1st Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid 37.66 % 2nd Lionel Messi Barcelona 15.76 % 3rd Manuel Neuer Bayern Munich 15.72 % 2015 1st Lionel Messi Barcelona 41.33 % 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid 27.76 % 3rd Neymar Barcelona 7.86 % Ballon d'Or ( 2016 -- present ) 2016 1st Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid 745 2nd Lionel Messi Barcelona 316 3rd Antoine Griezmann Atlético Madrid 198 2017 1st To be announced on December 2017 by France Football Magazine 2nd To be announced on December 2017 by France Football Magazine 3rd To be announced on December 2017 by France Football Magazine Wins by Player Johan Cruyff with the Ballon d'Or in 1971 One - time winners are only included if they have also finished 2nd or 3rd in another year. Player 1st 2nd 3rd Lionel Messi 5 ( 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 ) 4 ( 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 ) 1 ( 2007 ) Cristiano Ronaldo 4 ( 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 ) 5 ( 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015 ) -- Michel Platini 3 ( 1983, 1984, 1985 ) -- 2 ( 1977, 1980 ) Johan Cruyff 3 ( 1971, 1973, 1974 ) -- 1 ( 1975 ) Marco van Basten 3 ( 1988, 1989, 1992 ) -- -- Franz Beckenbauer 2 ( 1972, 1976 ) 2 ( 1974, 1975 ) 1 ( 1966 ) Ronaldo 2 ( 1997, 2002 ) 1 ( 1996 ) 1 ( 1998 ) Alfredo Di Stéfano 2 ( 1957, 1959 ) 1 ( 1956 ) -- Kevin Keegan 2 ( 1978, 1979 ) 1 ( 1977 ) -- Karl - Heinz Rummenigge 2 ( 1980, 1981 ) 1 ( 1979 ) -- Luis Suárez 1 ( 1960 ) 2 ( 1961, 1964 ) 1 ( 1965 ) Eusébio 1 ( 1965 ) 2 ( 1962, 1966 ) -- Bobby Charlton 1 ( 1966 ) 2 ( 1967, 1968 ) -- Raymond Kopa 1 ( 1958 ) 1 ( 1959 ) 2 ( 1956, 1957 ) Gerd Müller 1 ( 1970 ) 1 ( 1972 ) 2 ( 1969, 1973 ) Zinedine Zidane 1 ( 1998 ) 1 ( 2000 ) 1 ( 1997 ) Gianni Rivera 1 ( 1969 ) 1 ( 1963 ) -- Wins by country Country Players Total Portugal 8 Germany 5 7 Netherlands 7 France 6 Italy 5 5 Brazil 5 England 5 Argentina 5 Soviet Union Spain Czech Republic Bulgaria Denmark Hungary Liberia Northern Ireland Scotland Ukraine Wins by club Club Players Total Barcelona 6 11 Real Madrid 6 9 Juventus 6 8 Milan 6 8 Bayern Munich 5 Manchester United Dynamo Kyiv Internazionale Hamburg Ajax Benfica Blackpool Borussia Dortmund Borussia Mönchengladbach Dukla Prague Dynamo Moscow Ferencváros Liverpool Marseille Additional awards A special Ballon d'Or, under the name Super Ballon d'Or, was awarded to Alfredo Di Stéfano in 1989, after he surpassed Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini in France Football 's voting. A decade later, France Football elected Pelé the Football Player of the Century after consulting their former Ballon d'Or recipients. Among the 34 previous winners, 30 cast their votes ; Stanley Matthews, Omar Sívori and George Best abstained, and Lev Yashin had died. Each voter was allotted five votes worth up to five points ; however, Di Stéfano only chose a first place, Platini a first and second place, and George Weah two players for fifth place. Pelé was named the greatest by 17 voters, receiving almost double the number of points earned by the runner - up, Diego Maradona. Football Player of the Century Player Pts 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Pelé ( BRA ) 122 17 5 Diego Maradona ( ARG ) 65 6 5 5 Johan Cruyff ( NED ) 62 7 9 Alfredo Di Stéfano ( ESP ) 44 Michel Platini ( FRA ) 40 5 6 To coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Ballon d'Or in 2016, France Football published a reevaluation of the awards presented before 1995, when only European players were eligible to win the award. 12 out of the 39 Ballons d'Or presented during this time period would have been awarded to South American players ; in addition to Pelé and Diego Maradona, Garrincha, Mario Kempes, and Romário were retrospectively recognized as worthy winners. The original recipients, however, remain unchanged. Maradona and Pelé received honorary Ballons d'Or for their services to football in 1996 and 2013, respectively. Le nouveau palmarès ( the new winners ) Year Original Alternative 1958 Raymond Kopa ( FRA ) Pelé ( BRA ) 1959 Alfredo Di Stéfano ( ESP ) Pelé ( BRA ) 1960 Luis Suárez ( ESP ) Pelé ( BRA ) 1961 Omar Sívori ( ITA ) Pelé ( BRA ) 1962 Josef Masopust ( TCH ) Garrincha ( BRA ) 1963 Lev Yashin ( URS ) Pelé ( BRA ) 1964 Denis Law ( SCO ) Pelé ( BRA ) 1970 Gerd Müller ( FRG ) Pelé ( BRA ) 1978 Kevin Keegan ( ENG ) Mario Kempes ( ARG ) 1986 Igor Belanov ( URS ) Diego Maradona ( ARG ) 1990 Lothar Matthäus ( GER ) Diego Maradona ( ARG ) 1994 Hristo Stoichkov ( BUL ) Romário ( BRA ) See also FIFA World Player of the Year FIFA Ballon d'Or The Best FIFA Football Awards FIFPro World XI Notes Jump up ^ Born in Argentina, Di Stéfano acquired Spanish citizenship in 1956 and went on to play for the Spanish national football team. Jump up ^ Born in Argentina, Sívori acquired Italian citizenship in 1961 and went on to play for the Italian national football team. Jump up ^ Cruyff was signed by Barcelona from Ajax midway through 1973. Jump up ^ Keegan was signed by Hamburg from Liverpool midway through 1977. Jump up ^ Lineker was signed by Barcelona from Everton midway through 1986. Jump up ^ Gullit was signed by Milan from PSV Eindhoven midway through 1987. Jump up ^ Futre was signed by Atlético Madrid from Porto midway through 1987. Jump up ^ Rijkaard was signed by Milan from Real Zaragoza midway through 1988. Jump up ^ Weah was signed by Milan from Paris Saint - Germain midway through 1995. Jump up ^ Ronaldo was signed by Barcelona from PSV Eindhoven midway through 1996. Jump up ^ Ronaldo was signed by Internazionale from Barcelona midway through 1997. Jump up ^ Figo was signed by Real Madrid from Barcelona midway through 2000. Jump up ^ Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid from Internazionale midway through 2002. Jump up ^ Deco was signed by Barcelona from Porto midway through 2004. Jump up ^ Cannavaro was signed by Real Madrid from Juventus midway through 2006. Jump up ^ Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid from Manchester United midway through 2009. References Jump up ^ `` Matthews wins first Golden Ball ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008. ^ Jump up to : `` The 1990s Ballon d'Or winners ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008. Jump up ^ `` Kaka wins 2007 award ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008. Jump up ^ `` Ronaldo joins legendary list ''. BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008. Jump up ^ `` Rankings by Wins ''. Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation. 9 October 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008. Jump up ^ `` The FIFA Ballon d'Or is born ''. FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2012. Jump up ^ `` How the award came about ''. UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2011. Jump up ^ `` On this day, Di Stéfano won the Super Ballon d'Or ''. RealMadrid.com. 24 December 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2016. Jump up ^ Stokkermans, Karel ( 23 December 2015 ). `` France Football 's Football Player of the Century ''. Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2016. Jump up ^ Marchand, Thierry ( December 2015 ). `` On a refait le palmarès ''. France Football. Retrieved 13 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Maradona receives honorary award ''. BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Pele receives FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur ''. FIFA.com. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2016. External links `` European Footballer of the Year ( '' Ballon d'Or `` ) ''. Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation. 9 October 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2008. `` La liste complête des lauréats du Ballon d'or, de 1956 à nos jours ''. France Football. Retrieved 24 March 2015. Ballon d'Or France Football magazine award Ballon d'Or ( 1956 -- 2009 ) 1956 : Matthews 1957 : Di Stéfano 1958 : Kopa 1959 : Di Stéfano 1960 : Suárez 1961 : Sívori 1962 : Masopust 1963 : Yashin 1964 : Law 1965 : Eusébio 1966 : Charlton 1967 : Albert 1968 : Best 1969 : Rivera 1970 : Müller 1971 : Cruyff 1972 : Beckenbauer 1973 : Cruyff 1974 : Cruyff 1975 : Blokhin 1976 : Beckenbauer 1977 : Simonsen 1978 : Keegan 1979 : Keegan 1980 : Rummenigge 1981 : Rummenigge 1982 : Rossi 1983 : Platini 1984 : Platini 1985 : Platini 1986 : Belanov 1987 : Gullit 1988 : Van Basten 1989 : Van Basten 1990 : Matthäus 1991 : Papin 1992 : Van Basten 1993 : Baggio 1994 : Stoichkov 1995 : Weah 1996 : Sammer 1997 : Ronaldo 1998 : Zidane 1999 : Rivaldo 2000 : Figo 2001 : Owen 2002 : Ronaldo 2003 : Nedvěd 2004 : Shevchenko 2005 : Ronaldinho 2006 : Cannavaro 2007 : Kaká 2008 : C. Ronaldo 2009 : Messi FIFA Ballon d'Or ( 2010 -- 2015 ) 2010 : Messi 2011 : Messi 2012 : Messi 2013 : C. Ronaldo 2014 : C. Ronaldo 2015 : Messi Ballon d'Or ( 2016 -- present ) 2016 : C. Ronaldo 2017 : TBA FIFA World Player of the Year ( 1991 -- 2009 ) FIFA Ballon d'Or ( 2010 -- 2015 ) The Best FIFA Men 's Player ( 2016 -- present ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ballon_d%27Or&oldid=807803863 '' Categories : Awards established in 1956 Awards established in 2016 Association football player of the year awards Ballon d'Or Awards by magazines 1956 establishments in Europe 2016 establishments in Europe Hidden categories : Featured lists Use dmy dates from February 2011 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Azərbaycanca বাংলা Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Bosanski Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Føroyskt Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית Basa Jawa ქართული Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Македонски മലയാളം Malti Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Piemontèis Polski Português Română Русский Scots Shqip Slovenčina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் ไทย Türkçe Українська Vèneto Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 30 October 2017, at 05 : 40. 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Question: who has won the ballon d'or most times
Answer: Lionel Messi