Activities Sports & Athletics Ballon d’Or Winners Print Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Sports & Athletics Soccer Soccer Players Playing & Coaching Soccer Culture Baseball Bicycling Billiards Bodybuilding Bowling Boxing Car Racing Cheerleading Extreme Sports Football Golf Gymnastics Ice Hockey Martial Arts Professional Wrestling Skateboarding Skating Paintball Swimming & Diving Table Tennis Tennis Track & Field Volleyball Other Activities Learn More By Stewart Coggin Stewart Coggin Stewart Coggin has written about the sport of soccer since 2002. He is an expert, and his articles appear on many sports websites. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on 02/19/19 The Ballon d’Or, meaning ‘the golden ball’ was conceived by France Football magazine chief editor Gabriel Hanot who asked his colleagues to vote for their best European player in 1956. Originally journalists could only vote for Europeans playing in Europe but a rule change in 1995 meant that players from other continents could win the award, as long as they played for a European club. The pool of journalists allowed to vote also increased to 96 around the world. Coaches and captains from around the world also vote. Lionel Messi has won the award a record five times, with four players each having claimed it on three occasions: Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, Marco van Basten, and Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2010 the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year were merged, with the world’s best player awarded the FIFA Ballon d’Or. Ballon d’Or Winners 19561st Stanley Matthews (English, Blackpool)2nd Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentinean, Real Madrid)3rd Raymond Kopa (French, Real Madrid)19571st Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentinean, Real Madrid)2nd Billy Wright (English, Wolverhampton Wanderers)3rd= Duncan Edwards (English, Manchester United)3rd= Raymond Kopa (French, Real Madrid)19581st Raymond Kopa (French, Real Madrid)2nd Helmut Rahn (West German, Rot-Weiss Essen)3rd Just Fontaine (French, Stade Reims)19591st Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentinean, Real Madrid)2nd Raymond Kopa (French, Real Madrid)3rd John Charles (Welsh, Juventus)19601st Luis Suarez (Spanish, Barcelona)2nd Ferenc Puskas (Hungarian, Real Madrid)3rd Uwe Seeler (West German, Hamburg)19611st Omar Sivori (Argentinean, Juventus)2nd Luis Suarez (Spanish, Inter Milan)3rd Johnny Haynes (English, Fulham)19621st Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakian, Dukla Prague)2nd Eusebio (Portuguese, Benfica)3rd Karl-Heinz Schnellinger (West German, Koln)19631st Lev Yashin (Soviet Union, Dynamo Moscow)2nd Gianni Rivera (Italian, AC Milan)3rd Jimmy Greaves (English, Tottenham Hotspur)19641st Denis Law (Scottish, Manchester United)2nd Luis Suarez (Spanish, Inter Milan)3rd Amancio (Spanish, Real Madrid)19651st Eusebio (Portuguese, Benfica)2nd Giacinto Facchetti (Italian, Inter Milan)3rd Luis Suarez (Spanish, Real Madrid)19661st Bobby Charlton (English, Manchester United)2nd Eusebio (Portuguese, Benfica)3rd Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich)19671st Florian Albert (Hungarian, Ferencváros)2nd Bobby Charlton (English, Manchester United)3rd Jimmy Johnstone (Scottish, Celtic)19681st George Best (Irish, Manchester United)2nd Bobby Charlton (English, Manchester United)3rd Dragan Džaji? (Yugoslavian, Red Star Belgrade)19691st Gianni Rivera (Italian, AC Milan)2nd Luigi Riva (Italian, Cagliari)3rd Gerd Muller (West German, Bayern Munich)19701st Gerd Muller (West German, Bayern Munich)2nd Bobby Moore (English, West Ham United)3rd Luigi Riva (Italian, Cagliari)19711st Johan Cruyff (Dutch, Ajax)2nd Sandro Mazzola (Italian, Inter Milan)3rd George Best (Irish, Manchester United)19721st Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich)2nd Gerd Muller (West German, Bayern Munich)3rd Gunter Netzer (West German, Borussia Monchengladbach)19731st Johan Cruyff (Dutch, Barcelona)2nd Dino Zoff (Italian, Juventus)3rd Gerd Muller (West German, Bayern Munic)19741st Johan Cruyff (Dutch, Barcelona)2nd Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich)3rd Kazimierz Deyna (Polish, Legia Warsaw)19751st Oleg Blokhin (Soviet Union, Dynamo Kiev)2nd Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich)3rd Johan Cruyff (Dutch, Barcelona)19761st Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich)2nd Rob Rensenbrink (Dutch, Anderlecht)3rd Ivo Viktor (Czechoslovakian, Dukla Prague)19771st Allan Simonsen (Danish, Borussia Monchengladbach)2nd Kevin Keegan (English, Hamburg)3rd Michel Platini (French, Nancy)19781st Kevin Keegan (English, Hamburg)2nd Hans Krankl (Austrian, Barcelona)3rd Rob Rensenbrink (Dutch, Anderlecht)19791st Kevin Keegan (English, Hamburg)2nd Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West German, Bayern Munich)3rd Ruud Krol (Dutch, Ajax)19801st Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West German, Bayern Munich)2nd Bernd Schuster (West German, Real Madrid)3rd Michel Platini (French, Saint-Etienne)19811st Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West German, Bayern Munich)2nd Paul Breitner (West German, Bayern Munich)3rd Bernd Schuster (West German, Barcelona)19821st Paolo Rossi (Italian, Juventus)2nd Alain Giresse (French, Bordeaux)3rd Zbigniew Boniek (Polish, Juventus)19831st Michel Platini (French, Juventus)2nd Kenny Dalglish (Scottish, Liverpool)3rd Allan Simonsen (Danish, Vejle)19841st Michel Platini (French, Juventus)2nd Jean Tigana (French, Bordeaux)3rd Preben Elkjær (Danish, Verona)19851st Michel Platini (French, Juventus)2nd Preben Elkjær (Danish, Verona)3rd Bernd Schuster (West German, Barcelona)19861st Igor Belanov (Soviet Union, Dynamo Kyiv)2nd Gary Lineker (English, Barcelona)3rd Emilio Butragueño (Spanish, Real Madrid)19871st Ruud Gullit (Dutch, AC Milan)2nd Paulo Futre (Portuguese, Atletico Madrid)3rd Emilio Butragueño (Spanish, Real Madrid)19881st Marco van Basten (Dutch, AC Milan)2nd Ruud Gullit (Dutch, AC Milan)3rd Frank Rijkaard (Dutch, AC Milan)19891st Marco van Basten (Dutch, AC Milan)2nd Franco Baresi (Italian, Milan)3rd Frank Rijkaard (Dutch, Milan)19901st Lothar Matthaus (German, Inter Milan)2nd Salvatore Schillaci (Italian, Juventus)3rd Andreas Brehme (German, Inter Milan)19911st Jean-Pierre Papin (French, Marseille)2nd= Dejan Savicevic (Yugoslavian, Red Star Belgrade)2nd= Darko Pancev (Yugoslavian, Red Star Belgrade)2nd= Lothar Matthaus (German, Bayern Munich)19921st Marco van Basten (Dutch, AC Milan)2nd Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgarian, Barcelona)3rd Dennis Bergkamp (Dutch, Ajax)19931st Roberto Baggio (Italian, Juventus)2nd Dennis Bergkamp (Dutch, Inter Milan)3rd Eric Cantona (French, Manchester United)19941st Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgarian, Barcelona)2nd Roberto Baggio (Italian, Juventus)3rd Paolo Maldini (Italian, AC Milan)19951st George Weah (Liberian, AC Milan)2nd Jurgen Klinsmann (German, Bayern Munich)3rd Jari Litmanen (Finnish, Ajax)19961st Matthias Sammer (German, Borussia Dortmund)2nd Ronaldo (Brazilian, Barcelona)3rd Alan Shearer (English, Newcastle United)19971st Ronaldo (Brazilian, Inter Milan)2nd Predrag Mijatovi? (Yugoslavian, Real Madrid)3rd Zinedine Zidane (French, Juventus)19981st Zinedine Zidane (French, Juventus)2nd Davor Suker (Croatian, Real Madrid)3rd Ronaldo (Brazilian, Inter Milan)19991st Rivaldo (Brazilian, Barcelona)2nd David Beckham (English, Manchester United)3rd Andriy Shevchenko (Ukrainian, AC Milan)20001st Luis Figo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)2nd Zinedine Zidane (French, Real Madrid)3rd Andriy Shevchenko (Ukrainian, AC Milan)20011st Michael Owen (English, Liverpool)2nd Raul (Spanish, Real Madrid)3rd Oliver Kahn (German, Bayern Munich)20021st Ronaldo (Brazilian, Real Madrid)2nd Roberto Carlos (Brazilian, Real Madrid)3rd Oliver Kahn (German, Bayern Munich)20031st Pavel Nedved (Czech, Juventus)2nd Thierry Henry (French, Arsenal)3rd Paolo Maldini (Italian, AC Milan)20041st Andriy Shevchenko (Ukrainian, AC Milan)2nd Deco (Portuguese, Barcelona)3rd Ronaldinho (Brazilian, Barcelona)20051st Ronaldinho (Brazilian, Barcelona)2nd Frank Lampard (English, Chelsea)3rd Steven Gerrard (English, Liverpool)20061st Fabio Cannavaro (Italian, Real Madrid)2nd Gianluigi Buffon (Italian, Juventus)3rd Thierry Henry (French, Arsenal)20071st Kaka (Brazilian, AC Milan)2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Manchester United)3rd Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)20081st Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Manchester United)2nd Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)3rd Fernando Torres (Spanish, Liverpool)20091st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)3rd Xavi Hernandez (Spanish, Barcelona) FIFA Ballon d'Or 20101st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)2nd Andres Iniesta (Spanish, Barcelona)3rd Xavi Hernandez (Spanish, Barcelona)20111st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)3rd Xavi Hernandez (Spanish, Barcelona)20121st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)3rd Andres Iniesta (Spanish, Barcelona) 2013 1st Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)2nd Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)3rd Franck Ribery (French, Bayern Munich) 2014 1st Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)2nd Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)3rd Manuel Neuer (French, Bayern Munich) 2015 1st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)3rd Neymar (Brazilian, Barcelona)