Football: Ballon d’Or - Complete list of winners including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Alexia Putellas
Since its inception in 1956, the prestigious annual football award has been presented to some of the biggest names in the sport. Discover all the winners of the Ballon d'Or and the Ballon d'Or Feminin.
Football
There is no greater individual accolade in football than the Ballon d'Or.
Legends of the game including Johan Cruyff, Eusébio, Gerd Müller, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have all won the prestigious ‘Golden Ball’, which honours the best player of the season.
Messi currently holds the record for most Ballon d'Ors with eight (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023), while five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo has the most nominations with 18.
The Ballon d’Or has been awarded every year since 1956, while the Ballon d'Or Féminin was awarded for the first time in 2018. Neither award was given out in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stanley Matthews of England was the first-ever player to receive the men's prize, which was created by French news magazine France Football, as Norway’s Ada Hegerberg holds the distinction of being the first female winner.
Find the full list of Ballon d’Or winners below.