footballsite - European Footballer of the Year 1956 Stanley Matthews That the first European Footballer of the Year award went to a 41-year old who played for a far from glamorous club is a testament to the regard that Europe held for the 'Master of the Dribble', Stanley Matthews. 1956 Winner: Stanley Matthews (Blackpool & England) Sixteen representatives from the countries of Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, England, France, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, West Germany and Yugoslavia voted for the first European Footballer of the Year. Despite the fact that Europe finally knew who its best club was - Real Madrid had won the first European Cup final in June 1956 - the first award went to a man who would never kick a ball in European club competitions, Stanley Matthews. Top 11 positions - European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") Since 1956 the bi-weekly (formerly weekly) French magazine France Football awards the "Ballon d'Or" for the best European Footballer of the calendar year.

Only players from European clubs are eligible. Until 1994 any player from an European National Team was eligible; since 1995 any player from a European club (regardless of his nationality) is eligible but he must also be part of a preliminary list of 50 players established by France Football. Voters are journalists - one from each member country of UEFA. Each voter chooses 5 players and points are awarded as follows: 5 points for a first place in a voters' list, 4 points for second, 3 points for third, 2 points for fourth, and 1 point for fifth. In 2010 the election was not held but combined with the FIFA World Player of the Year . As that is (theoretically) not restricted to players active at European clubs, that is considered the end of the European Footballer of the Year. The cooperation between FIFA and France Football ended in 2016; since that year France Football again offers its own award.

Palmares 1956 Stanley MATTHEWS (Eng) Blackpool (Eng) 1957 Alfredo DI ST�FANO (Spa [*]) Real Madrid (Spa) 1958 Raymond KOPA (Fra) Real Madrid (Spa) 1959 Alfredo DI ST�FANO (Spa [*]) Real Madrid (Spa) 1960 Luis SU�REZ (Spa) Barcelona (Spa) 1961 Omar SIVORI (Ita [*]) Juventus (Ita) 1962 Josef MASOPUST (Cze) Dukla Praha (Cze) 1963 Lev YASHIN (SU) Dynamo Moskva (SU) 1964 Denis LAW (Sco) Manchester United (Eng) 1965 EUS�BIO (Por) Benfica (Por) 1966 Bobby CHARLTON (Eng) Manchester United (Eng) 1967 Fl�ri�n ALBERT (Hun) Ferencv�ros (Hun) 1968 George BEST (Nil) Manchester United (Eng) 1

969 Gianni RIVERA (Ita) Milan (Ita) 1970 Gerd M�LLER (Ger) Bayern M�nchen (Ger) 1971 Johan CRUIJFF (Net) Ajax (Net) 1972 Franz BECKENBAUER (Ger) Bayern M�nchen (Ger) 1973 Johan CRUIJFF (Net) Barcelona (Spa) 1974 Johan CRUIJFF (Net) Barcelona (Spa) 1975 Oleg BLOKHIN (SU) Dynamo Kiev (SU) 1976 Franz BECKENBAUER (Ger) Bayern M�nchen (Ger) 1977 Alan SIMONSEN (Den) Borussia M�nchengladbach (Ger) 1978 Kevin KEEGAN (Eng) Hamburger SV (Ger) 1979 Kevin KEEGAN (Eng) Hamburger SV (Ger) 1980 Karl-Heinz RUMMENIGGE (Ger) Bayern M�nchen (Ger) 1981 Karl-Heinz RUMMENIG

GE (Ger) Bayern M�nchen (Ger) 1982 Paolo ROSSI (Ita) Juventus (Ita) 1983 Michel PLATINI (Fra) Juventus (Ita) 1984 Michel PLATINI (Fra) Juventus (Ita) 1985 Michel PLATINI (Fra) Juventus (Ita) 1986 Igor BELANOV (SU) Dynamo Kiev (SU) 1987 Ruud GULLIT (Net) Milan (Ita) 1988 Marco VAN BASTEN (Net) Milan (Ita) 1989 Marco VAN BASTEN (Net) Milan (Ita) 1990 Lothar MATTH�US (Ger) Internazionale (Ita) 1991 Jean-Pierre PAPIN (Fra) Olympique Marseille (Fra) 1992 Marco VAN BASTEN (Net) Milan (Ita) 1993 Roberto BAGGIO (Ita) Juventus (Ita) 1994 Hristo STOITCHKOV (Bul) Barcelona (Spa) 199

5 George WEAH (Lib) Milan (Ita) 1996 Matthias SAMMER (Ger) Borussia Dortmund (Ger) 1997 RONALDO (Bra) Internazionale (Ita) 1998 Zinedine ZIDANE (Fra) Juventus (Ita) 1999 RIVALDO (Bra) Barcelona (Spa) 2000 Luis FIGO (Por) Real Madrid (Spa) 2001 Michael OWEN (Eng) Liverpool (Eng) 2002 RONALDO (Bra) Real Madrid (Spa) 2003 Pavel NEDVED (Cze) Juventus (Ita) 2004 Andriy SHEVCHENKO (Ukr) Milan (Ita) 2005 RONALDINHO (Bra) Barcelona (Spa) 2006 Fabio CANNAVARO (Ita) Real Madrid (Spa) 2007 KAK� (Bra) Milan (Ita) 2008 Cristiano RONALDO (Por) Manchester United (Eng) 20

09 Lionel MESSI (Arg) Barcelona (Spa) 2010 election incorporated into FIFA World Player of the Year 2011 election incorporated into FIFA World Player of the Year 2012 election incorporated into FIFA World Player of the Year 2013 election incorporated into FIFA World Player of the Year 2014 election incorporated into FIFA World Player of the Year 2015 election incorporated into FIFA World Player of the Year 2016 Cristiano RONALDO (Por) Real Madrid (SPA) [*] Di St�fano and Sivori were born in Argentina and first played for that country.

Rankings by Wins Wins by Club: Juventus 8 (Platini 3, Sivori, Rossi, Baggio, Zidane, Nedved) Milan 8 (Van Basten 3, Rivera, Gullit, Weah, Shevchenko, Kak�) Barcelona 7 (Cruijff 2, Su�rez, Stoitchkov, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Messi) Real Madrid 7 (Di St�fano 2, Kopa, Figo, Ronaldo, Cannavaro, Cristiano Ronaldo) Bayern M�nchen 5 (Beckenbauer 2, Rummenigge 2, M�ller) Manchester United 4 (Law, Charlton, Best, Cristiano Ronaldo) Dynamo Kiev 2 (Blokhin, Belanov) Hamburger SV 2 (Keegan) Internazionale 2 (Matth�us, Ronaldo) Ajax 1 (Cruijff) Benfica 1 (Eus�bio) Blackpool 1 (Matthews) Borussia Dortmund 1 (Sammer) Borussia MG 1 (Simonsen) Dukla Praha 1 (Masopust) Dynamo Moskva

 1 (Yashin) Ferencv�ros 1 (Albert) Liverpool 1 (Owen) Olymp.

Marseille 1 (Papin) Wins by Country: Germany 7 (Beckenbauer 2, Rummenigge 2, M�ller, Matth�us, Sammer) Netherlands 7 (Cruijff 3, Van Basten 3, Gullit) France 6 (Platini 3, Kopa, Papin, Zidane) Brazil 5 (Ronaldo 2, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kak�) England 5 (Keegan 2, Matthews, Charlton, Owen) Italy 5 (Sivori, Rivera, Rossi, Baggio, Cannavaro) Portugal 4 (Cristiano Ronaldo 2, Eus�bio, Figo) Soviet Union 3 (Belanov, Blokhin, Yashin) Spain 3 (Di St�fano 2, Su�rez) Argentina 1 (Messi) Bulgaria 1 (Stoitchkov) Czech Republic 1 (Nedved) Czechoslovakia 1 (Masopust) Denmark 1 (Simonsen) Hungary 1 (Albert) Liberia 1 (Weah) Northern Ireland 1 (Best) Scotland 

1 (Law) Ukraine 1 (Shevchenko) Wins by League: Italy 18 Spain 14 Germany 9 England 6 Soviet Union 3 Czechoslovakia 1 France 1 Hungary 1 Netherlands 1 Portugal 1 Wins by Player: Van Basten 3 Cruijff 3 Platini 3 Beckenbauer 2 Keegan 2 Ronaldo 2 Cristiano Ronaldo 2 K.H.

Rummenigge 2 Di St�fano 2 Albert 1 R. Baggio 1 Belanov 1 Best 1 Blokhin 1 Cannavaro 1 B. Charlton 1 Eus�bio 1 Figo 1 Gullit 1 Kak� 1 Kopa 1 Law 1 Masopust 1 Matth�us 1 Matthews 1 Messi 1 G. M�ller 1 Nedved 1 Owen 1 Papin 1 Rivaldo 1 Rivera 1 Ronaldinho 1 Rossi 1 Sammer 1 Shevchenko 1 Simonsen 1 Sivori 1 Stoitchkov 1 Su�rez 1 Weah 1 Yashin 1 Zidane 1 Yearwise Top-5 1956 1. Stanley MATTHEWS (Blackpool) (England) 47 2. Alfredo di St�fano (Real Madrid) (Spain) 44 3. Raymond Kopa (Stade Reims) (France) 33 4.

Ferenc Pusk�s (Honv�d) (Hungary) 32 5. Lev Yashin (Dynamo Moskva) (Soviet Union) 19 1957 1. Alfredo DI ST�FANO (Real Madrid) (Spain) 72 2. Billy Wright (Wolverhampton Wanderers) (England) 19 3. Raymond Kopa (Real Madrid) (France) 16 4. Duncan Edwards (Manchester United) (England) 16 5. L�szlo Kubala (Barcelona) (Spain) 15 1958 1. Raymond KOPA (Real Madrid) (France) 71 2. Helmut Rahn (Rot-Wei� Essen) (West Germany) 40 3. Just Fontaine (Stade Reims) (France) 23 4. Kurt Hamrin (Fiorentina) (Sweden) 15 John Charles (Juventus) (Wales) 15 1959 1.

Alfredo DI ST�FANO (Real Madrid) (Spain) 80 2. Raymond Kopa (Real Madrid) (France) 42 3. John Charles (Juventus) (Wales) 24 4. Luis Su�rez (Barcelona) (Spain) 22 5. Agne Simonsson (�rgryte) (Sweden) 20 1960 1. Luis SU�REZ (Barcelona) (Spain) 54 2. Ferenc Pusk�s (Real Madrid) (Hungary) 37 3. Uwe Seeler (Hamburger SV) (West Germany) 33 4. Alfredo di St�fano (Real Madrid) (Spain) 32 5. Lev Yashin (Dynamo Moskva) (Soviet Union) 28 1961 1. Omar SIVORI (Juventus) (Italy) 46 2. Luis Su�rez (Internazionale) (Spain) 40 3.

Johnny Haynes (Fulham) (England) 22 4. Lev Yashin (Dynamo Moskva) (Soviet Union) 21 5. Ferenc Pusk�s (Real Madrid) (Spain) 16 1962 1. Josef MASOPUST (Dukla Praha) (Czechoslovakia) 65 2. Eus�bio (Benfica) (Portugal) 53 3. Karl-Heinz Schnellinger (1.FC K�ln) (West Germany) 33 4. Dragoslav Sekularac (Crvena zvezda Beograd) (Yugoslavia) 26 5. Joseph Jurion (Anderlecht) (Belgium) 15 1963 1. Lev YASHIN (Dynamo Moskva) (Soviet Union) 73 2. Gianni Rivera (Milan) (Italy) 55 3. Jimmy Greaves (Tottenham Hotspur) (England) 50 4.

Denis Law (Manchester United) (Scotland) 45 5. Eus�bio (Benfica) (Portugal) 19 1964 1. Denis LAW (Manchester United) (Scotland) 61 2. Luis Su�rez (Internazionale) (Spain) 43 3. Amancio (Real Madrid) (Spain) 38 4. Eus�bio (Benfica) (Portugal) 31 5. Paul Van Himst (Anderlecht) (Belgium) 28 1965 1. EUS�BIO (Benfica) (Portugal) 67 2. Giacinto Facchetti (Internazionale) (Italy) 59 3. Luis Su�rez (Internazionale) (Spain) 45 4. Paul Van Himst (Anderlecht) (Belgium) 25 5. Bobby Charlton (Manchester United) (England) 19 1966 1. Bobby CHARLTON (Manchester United) (England) 81 2.

Eus�bio (Benfica) (Portugal) 80 3. Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 59 4. Bobby Moore (West Ham United) (England) 31 5. Fl�ri�n Albert (Ferencv�ros) (Hungary) 23 1967 1. Fl�ri�n ALBERT (Ferencv�ros) (Hungary) 68 2. Bobby Charlton (Manchester United) (England) 40 3. Jimmy Johnstone (Celtic) (Scotland) 39 4. Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 37 5. Eus�bio (Benfica) (Portugal) 26 1968 1. George BEST (Manchester United) (Northern Ireland) 61 2. Bobby Charlton (Manchester United) (England) 53 3. Dragan Dzajic (Crvena zvezda Beograd) (Yugoslavia) 46 4.

Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 36 5. Giacinto Facchetti (Internazionale) (Italy) 30 1969 1. Gianni RIVERA (Milan) (Italy) 83 2. Luigi Riva (Cagliari) (Italy) 79 3. Gerd M�ller (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 38 4. Johan Cruijff (Ajax) (Netherlands) 30 Ove Kindvall (Feijenoord) (Sweden) 30 1970 1. Gerd M�LLER (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 77 2. Bobby Moore (West Ham United) (England) 70 3. Luigi Riva (Cagliari) (Italy) 65 4. Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 32 5.

Wolfgang Overath (1.FC K�ln) (West Germany) 29 1971 1. Johan CRUIJFF (Ajax) (Netherlands) 116 2. Sandro Mazzola (Internazionale) (Italy) 57 3. George Best (Manchester United) (Northern Ireland) 56 4. G�nter Netzer (Borussia M�nchengladbach) (West Germany) 30 5. Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 27 1972 1. Franz BECKENBAUER (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 81 2. Gerd M�ller (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 79 3. G�nter Netzer (Borussia M�nchengladbach) (West Germany) 79 4. Johan Cruijff (Ajax) (Netherlands) 73 5. Piet Keizer (Ajax) (Netherlands) 13 1973 1.

Johan CRUIJFF (Barcelona) (Netherlands) 96 2. Dino Zoff (Juventus) (Italy) 47 3. Gerd M�ller (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 44 4. Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 30 5. Billy Bremner (Leeds United) (Scotland) 22 1974 1. Johan CRUIJFF (Barcelona) (Netherlands) 116 2. Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 105 3. Kazimierz Deyna (Legia Warszawa) (Poland) 35 4. Paul Breitner (Real Madrid) (West Germany) 32 5. Johan Neeskens (Barcelona) (Netherlands) 21 1975 1. Oleg BLOKHIN (Dynamo Kiev) (Soviet Union) 122 2.

Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 42 3. Johan Cruijff (Barcelona) (Netherlands) 27 4. Berti Vogts (Borussia M�nchengladbach) (West Germany) 25 5. Sepp Maier (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 20 1976 1. Franz BECKENBAUER (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 91 2. Robby Rensenbrink (Anderlecht) (Netherlands) 75 3. Ivo Viktor (Dukla Praha) (Czechoslovakia) 52 4. Kevin Keegan (Liverpool) (England) 32 5. Michel Platini (Nancy) (France) 19 1977 1. Alan SIMONSEN (Borussia M�nchengladbach) (Denmark) 74 2. Kevin Keegan (Hamburger SV) (England) 71 3.

Michel Platini (Nancy) (France) 70 4. Roberto Bettega (Juventus) (Italy) 39 5. Johan Cruijff (Barcelona) (Netherlands) 23 1978 1. Kevin KEEGAN (Hamburger SV) (England) 87 2. Hans Krankl (Barcelona) (Austria) 81 3. Rob Rensenbrink (Anderlecht) (Netherlands) 50 4. Roberto Bettega (Juventus) (Italy) 28 5. Paolo Rossi (Lanerossi Vicenza) (Italy) 23 1979 1. Kevin KEEGAN (Hamburger SV) (England) 118 2. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 52 3. Ruud Krol (Ajax) (Netherlands) 41 4. Manfred Kaltz (Hamburger SV) (West Germany) 27 5.

Michel Platini (Saint-Etienne) (France) 23 1980 1. Karl-Heinz RUMMENIGGE (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 122 2. Bernd Schuster (Barcelona) (West Germany) 34 3. Michel Platini (Saint-Etienne) (France) 33 4. Wilfried Van Moer (Beveren) (Belgium) 27 5. Jan Ceulemans (Club Brugge) (Belgium) 20 1981 1. Karl-Heinz RUMMENIGGE (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 106 2. Paul Breitner (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 64 3. Bernd Schuster (Barcelona) (West Germany) 39 4. Michel Platini (Saint-Etienne) (France) 36 5. Oleg Blokhin (Dynamo Kiev) (Soviet Union) 14 1982 1.

Paolo ROSSI (Juventus) (Italy) 115 2. Alain Giresse (Girondins Bordeaux) (France) 64 3. Zbigniew Boniek (Juventus) (Poland) 53 4. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 51 5. Bruno Conti (Roma) (Italy) 48 1983 1. Michel PLATINI (Juventus) (France) 110 2. Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool) (Scotland) 26 3. Allan Simonsen (Vejle BK) (Denmark) 25 4. Gordon Strachan (Aberdeen) (Scotland) 24 5. Felix Magath (Hamburger SV) (West Germany) 20 1984 1. Michel PLATINI (Juventus) (France) 128 2. Jean Tigana (Girondins Bordeaux) (France) 57 3.

Preben Elkj�r-Larsen (Hellas Verona) (Denmark) 48 4. Ian Rush (Liverpool) (Wales) 44 5. Chalana (Girondins Bordeaux) (Portugal) 18 1985 1. Michel PLATINI (Juventus) (France) 127 2. Preben Elkj�r-Larsen (Hellas Verona) (Denmark) 71 3. Bernd Schuster (Barcelona) (West Germany) 46 4. Michael Laudrup (Juventus) (Denmark) 14 5. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern M�nchen) (West Germany) 13 1986 1. Igor BELANOV (Dynamo Kiev) (Soviet Union) 84 2. Gary Lineker (Barcelona) (England) 62 3. Emilio Butrague�o (Real Madrid) (Spain) 59 4.

Manuel Amoros (Monaco) (France) 22 Preben Elkj�r-Larsen (Hellas Verona) (Denmark) 22 1987 1. Ruud GULLIT (Milan) (Netherlands) 106 2. Paulo Futre (Atl�tico Madrid) (Portugal) 91 3. Emilio Butrague�o (Real Madrid) (Spain) 61 4. Gonzales Michel (Real Madrid) (Spain) 29 5. Gary Lineker (Barcelona) (England) 13 1988 1. Marco VAN BASTEN (Milan) (Netherlands) 129 2. Ruud Gullit (Milan) (Netherlands) 88 3. Frank Rijkaard (Milan) (Netherlands) 45 4. Alexei Mikhailichenko (Dynamo Kiev) (Soviet Union) 41 5. Ronald Koeman (PSV) (Netherlands) 39 1989 1.

Marco VAN BASTEN (Milan) (Netherlands) 119 2. Franco Baresi (Milan) (Italy) 80 3. Frank Rijkaard (Milan) (Netherlands) 43 4. Lothar Matth�us (Internazionale) (West Germany) 24 5. Peter Shilton (Derby County) (England) 22 1990 1. Lothar MATTH�US (Internazionale) (West Germany) 137 2. Salvatore Schillaci (Juventus) (Italy) 84 3. Andreas Brehme (Internazionale) (West Germany) 68 4. Paul Gascoigne (Tottenham Hotspur) (England) 43 5. Franco Baresi (Milan) (Italy) 37 1991 1. Jean-Pierre PAPIN (Olympique Marseille) (France) 141 2.

Lothar Matth�us (Internazionale) (Germany) 42 Darko Pancev (Crvena zvezda Beograd) (Yugoslavia) 42 Dejan Savicevic (Crvena zvezda Beograd) (Yugoslavia) 42 5. Robert Prosinecki (Real Madrid) (Yugoslavia) 34 1992 1. Marco VAN BASTEN (Milan) (Netherlands) 98 2. Hristo Stoitchkov (Barcelona) (Bulgaria) 80 3. Dennis Bergkamp (Ajax) (Netherlands) 53 4. Thomas H�ssler (Roma) (Germany) 42 5. Peter Schmeichel (Manchester United) (Denmark) 41 1993 1. Roberto BAGGIO (Juventus) (Italy) 142 2. Dennis Bergkamp (Internazionale) (Netherlands) 83 3. Eric Cantona (Manchester United) (France) 34 4.

Alen Boksic (Lazio) (Croatia) 29 5. Michael Laudrup (Barcelona) (Denmark) 27 1994 1. Hristo STOITCHKOV (Barcelona) (Bulgaria) 210 2. Roberto Baggio (Juventus) (Italy) 136 3. Paolo Maldini (Milan) (Italy) 109 4. Tomas Brolin (Parma) (Sweden) 68 Gheorghe Hagi (Barcelona) (Romania) 68 1995 1. George WEAH (Milan) (Liberia) 144 2. J�rgen Klinsmann (Bayern M�nchen) (Germany) 108 3. Jari Litmanen (Ajax) (Finland) 67 4. Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus) (Italy) 57 5. Patrick Kluivert (Ajax) (Netherlands) 47 1996 1.

Matthias SAMMER (Borussia Dortmund) (Germany) 144 2. Ronaldo (Barcelona) (Brazil) 143 3. Alan Shearer (Newcastle United) (England) 107 4. Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus) (Italy) 69 5. J�rgen Klinsmann (Bayern M�nchen) (Germany) 60 1997 1. RONALDO (Internazionale) (Brazil) 222 2. Predrag Mijatovic (Real Madrid) (Yugoslavia) 68 3. Zinedine Zidane (Juventus) (France) 63 4. Dennis Bergkamp (Arsenal) (Netherlands) 57 5. Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid) (Brazil) 47 1998 1. Zinedine ZIDANE (Juventus) (France) 244 2. Davor Suker (Real Madrid) (Croatia) 68 3.

Ronaldo (Internazionale) (Brazil) 66 4. Michael Owen (Liverpool) (England) 51 5. Rivaldo (Barcelona) (Brazil) 45 1999 1. RIVALDO (Barcelona) (Brazil) 219 2. David Beckham (Manchester United) (England) 154 3. Andriy Shevchenko (Milan) (Ukraine) 64 4. Gabriel Batistuta (Fiorentina) (Argentina) 48 5. Luis Figo (Barcelona) (Portugal) 38 2000 1. Luis FIGO (Real Madrid) (Portugal) 197 2. Zinedine Zidane (Juventus) (France) 181 3. Andriy Shevchenko (Milan) (Ukraine) 85 4. Thierry Henry (Arsenal) (France) 57 5.

Alessandro Nesta (Lazio) (Italy) 39 Rivaldo (Barcelona) (Brazil) 39 2001 1. Michael OWEN (Liverpool) (England) 176 2. Ra�l (Real Madrid) (Spain) 140 3. Oliver Kahn (Bayern M�nchen) (Germany) 114 4. David Beckham (Manchester United) (England) 102 5. Francesco Totti (Roma) (Italy) 57 2002 1. RONALDO (Real Madrid) (Brazil) 169 2. Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid) (Brazil) 145 3. Oliver Kahn (Bayern M�nchen) (Germany) 110 4. Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid) (France) 78 5. Michael Ballack (Bayern M�nchen) (Germany) 71 2003 1. Pavel NEDVED (Juventus) (Czech Republic) 190 2.

Thierry Henry (Arsenal) (France) 128 3. Paolo Maldini (Milan) (Italy) 123 4. Andriy Shevchenko (Milan) (Ukraine) 67 5. Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid) (France) 64 2004 1. ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO (Milan) (Ukraine) 175 2. Deco (Barcelona) (Portugal) 139 3. Ronaldinho (Barcelona) (Brazil) 133 4. Thierry Henry (Arsenal) (France) 80 5. Theodoros Zagorakis (Bologna) (Greece) 44 2005 1. RONALDINHO (Barcelona) (Brazil) 225 2. Frank Lampard (Chelsea) (England) 148 3. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) (England) 142 4. Thierry Henry (Arsenal) (France) 41 5.

Andriy Shevchenko (Milan) (Ukraine) 33 2006 1. Fabio CANNAVARO (Real Madrid) (Italy) 173 2. Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) (Italy) 124 3. Thierry Henry (Arsenal) (France) 121 4. Ronaldinho (Barcelona) (Brazil) 73 5. Zinedine Zidane (none) (France) 71 2007 1. KAK� (Milan) (Brazil) 444 2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) (Portugal) 277 3. Lionel Andr�s Messi (Barcelona) (Argentina) 255 4. Didier Drogba (Chelsea) (Ivory Coast) 108 5. Andrea Pirlo (Milan) (Italy) 41 2008 1. Cristiano RONALDO (Manchester United) (Portugal) 446 2.

Lionel Andr�s Messi (Barcelona) (Argentina) 281 3. Fernando Torres (Liverpool) (Spain) 179 4. Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) (Spain) 133 5. Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona) (Spain) 97 2009 1. Lionel Andr�s MESSI (Barcelona) (Argentina) 473 2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) (Portugal) 233 3. Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona) (Spain) 170 4. Andres Iniesta (Barcelona) (Spain) 149 5. Samuel Eto'o (Inter) (Cameroon) 75 2016 1. Cristiano RONALDO (Real Madrid) (Portugal) 745 2. Lionel Andr�s Messi (Barcelona) (Argentina) 316 3. Antoine Griezmann (Atl�tico Madrid) (France) 198 4.

Luis Su�rez (Barcelona) (Uruguay) 91 5.

Neymar (Barcelona) (Brazil) 68 Rankings by Medals Medals by Club G S B tot 1.Juventus 8 5 3 16 2.Milan 8 3 6 17 3.Barcelona 7 8 6 21 4.Real Madrid 7 8 4 19 5.Bayern M�nchen 5 6 5 16 6.Manchester United 4 4 2 10 7.Internazionale 2 6 3 11 8.Hamburger SV 2 1 1 4 9.Dynamo Kiev 2 2 10.Benfica 1 2 3 11.Liverpool 1 1 2 4 12.Ajax 1 3 4 13.Borussia M�nchengladbach 1 1 2 Dukla Praha 1 1 2 15.Blackpool 1 1 Borussia Dortmund 1 1 Dynamo Moskva 1 1 Ferencv�ros 1 1 Olympique Marseille 1 1 2

0.Crvena zvezda Beograd 2 1 3 21.Girondins Bordeaux 2 2 22.Anderlecht 1 1 2 Arsenal 1 1 2 Atl�tico Madrid 1 1 2 Cagliari 1 1 2 Verona 1 1 2 27.Chelsea 1 1 Rot-Weiss Essen 1 1 West Ham United 1 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 1 31.Stade Reims 2 2 32.Celtic 1 1 Fulham 1 1 1.FC K�ln 1 1 Legia Warszawa 1 1 Nancy 1 1 Newcastle United 1 1 Saint-Etienne 1 1 Tottenham Hotspur 1 1 Vejle 1 1 total 55 57 54 166 NB: there were 3 silver and no bronze medals in 1991 Medals by Country G S B tot 1.Germany 7 9 11 27 2.Netherlands 7 3 6 16

 3.France 6 5 9 20 4.Italy 5 9 3 17 5.England 5 8 4 17 6.Brazil 5 2 2 9 7.Portugal 4 6 10 8.Spain 3 4 6 13 9.Soviet Union 3 3 10.Argentina 1 2 1 4 11.Denmark 1 1 2 4 12.Scotland 1 1 1 3 13.Bulgaria 1 1 2 Hungary 1 1 2 15.Ukraine 1 2 3 16.Czechoslovakia 1 1 2 Northern Ireland 1 1 2 18.Czech Republic 1 1 Liberia 1 1 20.Yugoslavia 3 1 4 22.Austria 1 1 Croatia 1 1 24.Poland 2 2 25.Finland 1 1 Wales 1 1 total 55 57 54 16

6 NB: there were 3 silver and no bronze medals in 1991 Medals by League G S B tot 1.Italy 18 16 14 48 2.Spain 14 17 11 42 3.Germany 9 8 8 25 4.England 6 9 8 23 5.Soviet Union 3 3 6.France 1 2 4 7 7.Portugal 1 2 3 8.Netherlands 1 3 4 9.Czechoslovakia 1 1 2 10.Hungary 1 1 11.Yugoslavia 2 1 3 12.Belgium 1 1 2 13.Denmark 1 1 Poland 1 1 Scotland 1 1 total 55 57 54 166 NB: there were 3 silver and no bronze medals in 1991 Medals by Player G S B tot 1.Platini 3 2 5 2.Cruijff 3 1

 4 3.Van Basten 3 3 4.Beckenbauer 2 2 1 5 5.Cristiano Ronaldo 2 2 4 6.Ronaldo 2 1 1 4 7.Di St�fano 2 1 3 Keegan 2 1 3 K.H.

Rummenigge 2 1 3 10.Messi 1 2 1 3 Su�rez 1 2 1 4 12.B. Charlton 1 2 3 Eus�bio 1 2 3 14.Kopa 1 1 2 4 G. M�ller 1 1 2 4 16.Zidane 1 1 1 3 17.R.

Baggio 1 1 2 Gullit 1 1 2 Matth�us 1 1 2 Rivera 1 1 2 Stoitchkov 1 1 2 22.Shevchenko 1 2 3 23.Best 1 1 2 Ronaldinho 1 1 2 Simonsen 1 1 2 26.Albert 1 1 Belanov 1 1 Blokhin 1 1 Cannavaro 1 1 Figo 1 1 Kak� 1 1 Law 1 1 Masopust 1 1 Matthews 1 1 Nedved 1 1 Owen 1 1 Papin 1 1 Rivaldo 1 1 Rossi 1 1 Sammer 1 1 Sivori 1 1 Weah 1 1 Yashin 1 1 44.Schuster 1 2 3 45.Bergkamp 1 1 2 Elkj�r-Larsen 1 1 2 Henry 1 1 2 Rensenbrink 1 1 2 Riva 1

 1 2 50.Baresi 1 1 Beckham 1 1 Breitner 1 1 Buffon 1 1 Dalglish 1 1 Deco 1 1 Facchetti 1 1 Futre 1 1 Giresse 1 1 Klinsmann 1 1 Krankl 1 1 Lampard 1 1 Lineker 1 1 Mazzola 1 1 Mijatovic 1 1 Moore 1 1 Pancev 1 1 Pusk�s 1 1 Rahn 1 1 Ra�l 1 1 Roberto Carlos 1 1 Savicevic 1 1 Schillaci 1 1 Suker 1 1 Tigana 1 1 Wright 1 1 Zoff 1 1 77.Butrague�o 2 2 Kahn 2 2 Maldini 2 2 Rijkaard 2 2 81.Amancio 1 1 Boniek 1 1 Brehme 1 1 Cantona 1 1 Charles 1 1 Deyna 1 1 Dz

ajic 1 1 Fontaine 1 1 Gerrard 1 1 Greaves 1 1 Griezmann 1 1 Haynes 1 1 Johnstone 1 1 Krol 1 1 Litmanen 1 1 Netzer 1 1 Schnellinger 1 1 Seeler 1 1 Shearer 1 1 Torres 1 1 Viktor 1 1 Xavi 1 1 total 55 57 54 166 Some Records Most wins by player: 1.

Marco van Basten 3 Johan Cruijff 3 Michel Platini 3 4. Franz Beckenbauer 2 Kevin Keegan 2 Ronaldo 2 Cristiano Ronaldo 2 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge 2 Alfredo di St�fano 2 Most consecutive wins by player: 1. Michel Platini 3 2. Marco van Basten 2 Johan Cruijff 2 Kevin Keegan 2 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge 2 Most placings in top-3 by player: 1. Franz Beckenbauer 5 Michel Platini 5 3. Johan Cruijff 4 Raymond Kopa 4 Lionel Messi 4* Gerd M�ller 4 Ronaldo 4 Cristiano Ronaldo 4* Luis Su�rez 4 10. Marco van Basten 3 Bobby Charlton 3 Eus�bio 3 Kevin Keegan 3 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge 3 Bernd Schuster 3 Andriy Shevchenko 3 Alfredo di St�fano 3 Zinedine Zidane 3 Most consecutive placings in top-3 by player: 1.

Raymond Kopa 4 Lionel Messi 4* Cristiano Ronaldo 4* 4. Franz Beckenbauer 3 Bobby Charlton 3 Johan Cruijff 3 Kevin Keegan 3 Michel Platini 3 Ronaldo 3 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge 3 Most placings in top-5 by player: 1. Franz Beckenbauer 10 2. Michel Platini 8 3. Johan Cruijff 7 4. Eus�bio 6 Zinedine Zidane 6 6. Thierry Henry 5 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge 5 Luis Su�rez 5 Andriy Shevchenko 5 10. Bobby Charlton 4 Kevin Keegan 4 Raymond Kopa 4 Lionel Messi 4* Gerd M�ller 4 Ronaldo 4 Cristiano Ronaldo 4* Alfredo di St�fano 4 Lev Yashin 4 Most consecutive placings in top-5 by player: 1. Franz Beckenbauer 7 2. Eus�bio 6 3. Johan Cruijff 5 4.

Bobby Charlton 4 Thierry Henry 4 Kevin Keegan 4 Raymond Kopa 4 Lionel Messi 4* Cristiano Ronaldo 4* Karl-Heinz Rummenigge 4 Most placings in top-10 by player: 1. Franz Beckenbauer 11 2. Johan Cruijff 9 3. Gerd M�ller 8 Michel Platini 8 5. Bobby Charlton 7 Eus�bio 7 Thierry Henry 7 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge 7 Zinedine Zidane 7 10. J�rgen Klinsmann 6 Ra�l 6 Gianni Rivera 6 Andriy Shevchenko 6 Luis Su�rez 6 Lev Yashin 6 16. Marco van Basten 5 John Charles 5 Raymond Kopa 5 Paolo Maldini 5 Alfredo di St�fano 5 21.

Franco Baresi 4 Dennis Bergkamp 4 George Best 4 Kevin Keegan 4 Michael Laudrup 4 Lothar Matth�us 4 Lionel Messi 4* Bobby Moore 4 Ferenc Pusk�s 4 Bryan Robson 4 Ronaldo 4 Cristiano Ronaldo 4* Frank Rijkaard 4 Bernd Schuster 4 Most consecutive placings in top-10 by player: 1. Franz Beckenbauer 11 2. Johan Cruijff 9 3. Eus�bio 7 Thierry Henry 7 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge 7 6. Gerd M�ller 6 7. Raymond Kopa 5 Ra�l 5 9. Bobby Charlton 4 Kevin Keegan 4 Lionel Messi 4* Cristiano Ronaldo 4* Most dominant countries in one season: Three in top-3: 1. West Germany 1972 West Germany 1981 Netherlands 1988 Four in top-10: 1. Netherlands 1988 (top-5) 2.

West Germany 1975 (top-7) Spain 2008 (top-7) 4. West Germany 1980 (top-8) Yugoslavia 1991 (top-8) 6. Spain 1961 (top-9) 7. Italy 1965 West Germany 1974 West Germany 1990 Five in top-10: 1. West Germany 1975 (top-8) 2. West Germany 1980 Most dominant clubs in one season: Three in top-10: 1. Milan 1988 (top-3) Milan 1989 (top-3) 3. Barcelona 2009 (top-4) Barcelona 2016 (top-4) Real Madrid 2002 (top-4) 6. Internazionale 1990 (top-6) 7. Real Madrid 1997 (top-7) 8.

Ajax 1995 (top-8) Barcelona 1992 (top-8) Crvena zvezda 1991 (top-8) Honv�d Budapest 1956 (top-8) Internazionale 1965 (top-8) Juventus 1992 (top-8) Real Madrid 1959 (top-8) Real Madrid 2003 (top-8) 16. Bayern Munchen 1973 (top-9) Girondins Bordeaux 1984 (top-9) Real Madrid 1961 (top-9) Real Madrid 2016 (top-9) Milan 2005 (top-9) 21. Borussia Dortmund 1997 Real Madrid 2001 Chelsea 2005 Four in top-10: 1. Barcelona 2009 (top-7) Milan 1989 (top-7) Real Madrid 2002 (top-7) 4.

Milan 1988 (top-8) 5. Juventus 1982 (top-9) 6. Real Madrid 2003 Keeper of the Year (unofficial) Based on France Football�s "Ballon d�Or" rankings: the best placed goalkeeper on that list becomes the European Goalkeeper of the Year. Note: "POS." refers to the position that the player had on the "Ballon d�Or" ranking. YEAR GOALKEEPER POS.

COUNTRY CLUB 1956 Lev YASHIN (5) Soviet Union Dynamo Moskva (USSR) 1957 Lev YASHIN (11) 1958 Harry GREGG (8) Northern Ireland Manchester United (Eng) 1959 Lev YASHIN (11) 1960 Lev YASHIN (5) Soviet Union Dynamo Moskva (USSR) 1961 Lev YASHIN (4) Soviet Union Dynamo Moskva (USSR) 1962 Viliam SCHROIFF (19) Czechoslovakia Dukla Praha (Cze) 1963 Lev YASHIN (1) Soviet Union Dynamo Moskva (USSR) 1964 Lev YASHIN (8) Soviet Union Dynamo Moskva (USSR) 1965 Lev YASHIN (15) Soviet Union Dynamo Moskva (USSR) 1966 Lev YASHIN (7) Soviet Union Dynamo Moskva (USSR) 1967 no goalkeeper was ranked 1968 no goalkeeper was ranked

 1969 Ivo VIKTOR (23) Czechoslovakia Dukla Praha (Cze) 1970 Gordon BANKS (8) England Stoke City (Eng) 1971 Yevgueni RUDAKOV (12) Soviet Union Dynamo Kyiv (USSR) 1972 Gordon BANKS (7) England Stoke City (Eng) 1973 Dino ZOFF (2) Italy Juventus (Ita) 1974 Ronnie HELLSTR�M (13) Sweden FC Kaiserslautern (FRG) Jan TOMASZEWSKI (13) Poland LKS L�dz (Pol) 1975 Sepp MAIER (5) West Germany Bayern M�nchen (FRG) 1976 Ivo VIKTOR (3) Czechoslovakia Dukla Praha (Cze) 1977 Ronnie HELLSTR�M (13) Sweden FC Kaiserslautern (FRG) 1978 Ronnie HELLSTR�M (6) Sweden FC Kaiserslautern (FRG) 1

979 Ronnie HELLSTR�M (27) Sweden FC Kaiserslautern (FRG) 1980 Luis ARCONADA (11) Spain Real Sociedad (Spa) Dino ZOFF (11) Italy Juventus (Ita) 1981 Dino ZOFF (6) Italy Juventus (Ita) 1982 Rinat DASSAEV (6) Soviet Union Spartak Moskva (USSR) 1983 Rinat DASSAEV (6) Soviet Union Spartak Moskva (USSR) Jean-Marie PFAFF (6) Belgium Bayern M�nchen (FRG) 1984 Harald SCHUMACHER (7) West Germany FC K�ln (FRG) 1985 Rinat DASSAEV (9) Soviet Union Spartak Moskva (USSR) 1986 Helmut DUCADAM (8) Romania Steaua Bucuresti (Rom) 1987 Jean-Marie PFAFF (17) Belgium Bayern M�nchen (FRG) 1988 Rinat D

ASSAEV (13) Soviet Union Spartak Moskva (USSR) 1989 Peter SHILTON (5) England Derby County (Eng) 1990 Walter ZENGA (12) Italy Inter Milan (Ita) 1991 Bruno MARTINI (13) France AJ Auxerre (Fra) 1992 Peter SCHMEICHEL (5) Denmark Manchester United (Eng) 1993 Peter SCHMEICHEL (12) Denmark Manchester United (Eng) 1994 Thomas RAVELLI (7) Sweden IFK G�teborg (Swe) 1995 V�TOR Manuel Martins BA�A (30) Portugal FC Porto (Por) 1996 Andreas K�PKE (13) Germany Olympique Marseille (Fra) 1997 Peter SCHMEICHEL (8) Denmark Manchester United (Eng) 1998 Fabien BARTHEZ (14) France AS Monaco (Fra) 1999 Peter SCHMEICHEL (17) Denmark Manchester United (Eng) 2000 Fabien BARTHEZ (12

) France Manchester United (Eng) 2001 Oliver KAHN (3) Germany Bayern M�nchen (Ger) 2002 Oliver KAHN (3) Germany Bayern M�nchen (Ger) 2003 Gianluigi BUFFON (9) Italy Juventus (Ita) 2004 Gianluigi BUFFON (17) Italy Juventus (Ita) 2005 Petr CECH (14) Czech Republic Chelsea (Eng) 2006 Gianluigi BUFFON (2) Italy Juventus (Ita) 2007 Gianluigi BUFFON (19) Italy Juventus (Ita) Petr CECH (19) Czech Republic Chelsea (Eng) 2008 Iker CASILLAS (4) Spain Real Madrid (Spa) 2009 Iker CASILLAS (16) Spain Real Madrid (Spa) 2010-15 election incorporated into FIFA World Player of the Year 2016 Gianluigi BUFFON (9) Italy Juventus (Ita)

Question: In 1956 who became the first European Footballer of the Year?
Answer: Stanley Matthews