EPL_Every Ballon d’Or Winner
Winning the Ballon d’Or gong isn’t for the faint-hearted: it takes an entire year of hard work to master one’s craft and, throughout that, very few hiccups are permitted. Football’s most prestigious prize is handed to the sport’s best for that very reason, right?
There is very little wiggle room, and, as a result, it’s typically awarded to a player that scores bucketloads of goals. Defenders and goalkeepers are largely disregarded, and the occasional midfielder gets their hand on the biggest prize of them all. In truth, it typically goes to a forward of some kind – and since the award’s inception, 46 players have reigned supreme.
zidane
And while – for obvious reasons – no Ballon d’Or winner can be considered a bad footballer, there have been varying levels of talent since Stanley Matthews became the inaugural winner in 1956. Alas, here are all 46 winners ranked from worst to best using the below factors.
46-41
By no means a poor player, former Borussia Dortmund Matthias Sammer failed to capture the imagination of fans in the same vein that previous winners did. The same can be said about Igor Belanov – who played for the less-fashionable Dynamo Kyiv – when he won it in 1986. A notable moment was his hat-trick against Belgium at the 1986 World Cup, but Gary Lineker feels every right to be peeved with second place.
Pavel Nedved’s Ballon d’Or triumph in 2003 is somewhat controversial given Thierry Henry, one of the best players to never win the award, posted a 42-goal season alongside 26 assists. Instead, Juventus’ tricky Czech winger, who scored 14 goals and provided three assists in 47 outings, was crowned: here, he's ranked 44th, just behind Fabio Cannavaro.
With Naples-born Cannavaro being the only defender since the turn of the decade to secure the Ballon d’Or, the Italian’s win remains debatable. The last Englishman to win the sought-after accolade, Michael Owen (somehow!) managed to pip Real Madrid’s Raul to the post. Whether the Englishman, who scored 16 goals in 28 Premier League appearances in 2000/01, was a worthy winner for the coveted gong, though, is up for contention.
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Every Ballon d'Or Winner Ranked From Worst to Best – 46-41
Rank
46.
45.
44.
43.
42.
41.
40-31
Andriy Shevchenko was, no doubt, a brilliant striker – but, in comparison to other Ballon d’Or winners, the Ukrainian is not of the same calibre. That year, however, he was Serie A's leading goalscoring with 24 strikers, while AC Milan were crowned Italian champions. There was also controversy over whether Rodri should’ve beat Los Blancos ace Vinicius Jr to the top spot in 2024.
George Weah – an ex-striker widely regarded as one of the best African players in football history – and his win in 1995 was also a topic of debate given the plethora of talent around during that period. Karim Benzema’s triumph three years ago, too, continues to divide opinion to this day, but let's not forget the part he played in Real Madrid's success and France's Nations League triumph that year.
Greatest Strikers of all-time in football featuring Ronaldo, Pele and Thierry Henry
The Frenchman scored plenty of goals and probably did deserve the accolade – and just in front of him was Kevin Keegan, acclaimed the best player in the world in consecutive years in 1978 and 1979, while plying his trade in Germany for lesser-coveted side Hamburg. By no means unworthy winners, two footballing legends in Roberto Baggio and Rivaldo follow in 34th and 33rd, respectively. The latter won La liga with Barcelona and the Copa America with Brazil in that time period.
Matthews, the oldest winner aged 41, became the first of many world-beaters to be crowned the beautiful game’s leading superstar, while Luis Figo’s success in 2000 – finishing ahead of the engimatic Zinedine Zidane (more on him later) – was the second most controversial that happened regarding the Portuguese winger in 2000. That was the year when he swapped Camp Nou for Santiago Bernabeu and a pig's head was thrown towards his direction.
30-21
Winning the award on the brink of the Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi era, Kaka occupies a special place in football history and the gifted Brazilian is the 29th best Ballon d’Or winner of all time. He’s just behind the only triumphant goalkeeper in Lev Yashin. The goalkeeper is the only player in his position to ever be crowned football's greatest - and that, in itself, is a feat to be proud of.
Integral to Real Madrid's Champions League victory and Croatia's journey to the 2018 World Cup final, Luka Modric interjected Ronaldo and Messi's dominance of world football. The midfielder may not have got the goals and assists as others but his influence from the centre of the park cannot be disregarded. Denis Law – regarded as one of the greatest Manchester United players of all time – was a trailblazing figure in the 1960s and was crowned the sport’s best player in 1964.
He’s just behind the midfield general, Ruud Gullit, who won in 1987. Famously, the midfielder-turned-manager dedicated his award to Nelson Mandela. Centre-forward duo Jean-Pierre Papin and Hristo Stoichkov are both footballing icons in their own right, having both won it in the early 1990s. Lesser-known stars, Omari Sivori and Oleg Blokhin, were Ballon d’Or winners in 1961 and 1975 and round off the category.
20-11
Not only was Karl-Heinz Rummenigge the Bundesliga’s top goalscorer in both of his Ballon d’Or-winning years (1980 and 1981), but he also won Euro 1980 with Germany. International success, alongside that domestically, helped his cause. Marco van Basten’s career is one shrouded in mystery, given that he retired in 1995, at the age of 30 – but the fact that he won three Ballon d’Or is a testament to his goal-getting exploits.
And then, there’s Ronaldinho – one of world football's leading figures in general. Encapsulating everything scintillating about football, the winger’s trickery and poise were a level above the rest and, thus, he’s ranked 17th on this star-studded list. He won the Champions League and La Liga in 2005 and was named football’s best.
Ronaldinho, Neymar and Ronaldo
A superstar on and off the field, George Best was a tricky winger who wreaked havoc throughout Europe (in England, most notably) at the peak of powers – and he’s just behind two icons of the game, Michel Platini and Eusebio. Lothar Matthaus, the winner in 1990, is ranked 13th. In that year, the German midfield general skippered West Germany to World Cup glory, although Serie A champion status evaded his grasp.
It may come as a surprise that Zidane only won it once, but he did so after being a vital cog in France’s 1998 World Cup success. England’s World Cup-winning campaign in 1966 is the Three Lions' only to date – and Sir Bobby Charlton was instrumental to Sir Alf Ramsey, hence why the Old Trafford legend was given the award.
10-1
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Now, let’s take a trip down memory lane and relive the crème de la crème, starting with Gianna Rivera and Raymond Kopa – who won the prize in 1969 and 1958, respectively. The latter, a midfield general, was that good that he had an award – The Kopa Trophy – named after him. Luis Suarez – no, not that Luis Suarez! – was the winner in 1960.
Bayern Munich royalty Gerd Muller, nicknamed Der Bomber, was the rightful recipient in 1970 after scoring shedloads of goals for Bayern Munich. The marksman's Golden Boot-winning performance at the 1970 World Cup probably helped his cause when it came to the decision-makers choosing the cream of the crop. The same can be said for Alfredo Di Stefano, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers in football history.
Ranking the greatest players in Real Madrid history featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos
Their entire careers aside, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff have won the Ballon d’Or more than once and are deserving of their spot in the top ten. The latter is one of the most influential people to ever ply their trade as a footballer, as is the former in all honesty. Carrying a sense of inevitability, the talismanic Ronaldo Nazario, irrespective of his injury isuses, was a joyous footballer – and he also won it twice: in 1997 and 2002.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, whose Ballon d’Or duopoly is no surprise given their outrageous talent, are second and first in the rankings. The latter runs away with the top spot by virtue of winning it on eight different occasions between 2009 and 2023. But, let's face the facts, in terms of Ballon d'Or status, they are in a league of their own. Simply sublime footballers.