The "Ballon d'Or", literally translated as "the golden ball" and often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award, was an annual association football award. It was presented to the player who had been considered to have performed the best over the previous calendar year. The award was conceived by France Football's chief magazine writer Gabriel Hanot, who asked his colleagues to vote for the player of the year in Europe in 1956. The inaugural winner was Stanley Matthews of Blackpool.[1]
Originally, journalists could only vote for European players at European clubs, meaning that players like Diego Maradona and Pelé were ineligible for the award.[2] In 1995, there was a change in the rules to allow non-European players to be eligible for the award if they played for a European club. The first non-European to win after the rule change was Milan's George Weah in the same year.[3] As a result, the number of journalists allowed to vote also increased; 96 journalists from around the world chose their top five players, as opposed to the 52 Europe-based journalists in 2006.[4]
Three players have won the award three times each: Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, and Marco van Basten. Platini is the only player to have won the award three times in a row; he won the award from 1983 to 1985.[1] Ronaldo became the first Brazilian to win the award in 1997, after non-Europeans were made eligible.[3] With seven awards each, Dutch and German players won the Ballon d'Or the most. Italian clubs Juventus and Milan had the most winners respectively; six players have won eight awards while playing for each team.[5] The final recipient of the Ballon d'Or was Lionel Messi, the third Argentine to win the award, but the first as an Argentine citizen.[6]
In 2010, the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award were merged and the world's best player has since been awarded the FIFA Ballon d'Or each year.[7]
In 2011, UEFA created the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, so it could keep the prestige of the old Ballon d'or after it was merged to create the FIFA Ballon d'or.[8]
Contents |
| 1st | Winner of the Ballon d'Or |
| Year | Each year is linked to the article about that Ballon d'Or |
| = | Indicates the position was tied |
| Year | Rank | Player | Nationality | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | |||||
| 1st | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona | 22.65% | |
| 2nd | Andrés Iniesta | Spain | Barcelona | 17.36% | |
| 3rd | Xavi | Spain | Barcelona | 16.48% |
| Player | Total | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Johan Cruyff | 3 | 1971, 1973, 1974 |
| Michel Platini | 3 | 1983, 1984, 1985 |
| Marco van Basten | 3 | 1988, 1989, 1992 |
| Lionel Messi | 2 | 2009, 2010 |
| Alfredo Di Stéfano | 2 | 1957, 1959 |
| Franz Beckenbauer | 2 | 1972, 1976 |
| Kevin Keegan | 2 | 1978, 1979 |
| Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | 2 | 1980, 1981 |
| Ronaldo | 2 | 1997, 2002 |
| Country | Players | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 5 | 7 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 7 |
| France | 4 | 6 |
| Argentina | 3 | 5 |
| Brazil | 4 | 5 |
| England | 4 | 5 |
| Italy | 4 | 4 |
| Portugal | 3 | 3 |
| Soviet Union | 3 | 3 |
| Spain | 1 | 1 |
| Bulgaria | 1 | 1 |
| Czech Republic | 1 | 1 |
| Czechoslovakia | 1 | 1 |
| Denmark | 1 | 1 |
| Hungary | 1 | 1 |
| Liberia | 1 | 1 |
| Northern Ireland | 1 | 1 |
| Scotland | 1 | 1 |
| Ukraine | 1 | 1 |
| Club | Players | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Milan | 6 | 8 |
| Juventus | 6 | 8 |
| Barcelona | 6 | 8 |
| Real Madrid | 5 | 6 |
| Bayern Munich | 3 | 5 |
| Manchester United | 4 | 4 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 3 | 3 |
| Internazionale | 2 | 2 |
| Hamburg | 1 | 2 |
| Blackpool | 1 | 1 |
| Dukla Prague | 1 | 1 |
| Dynamo Moscow | 1 | 1 |
| Benfica | 1 | 1 |
| Ferencváros | 1 | 1 |
| Ajax | 1 | 1 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 1 | 1 |
| Marseille | 1 | 1 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 1 | 1 |
| Liverpool | 1 | 1 |
A. a b Despite being born in Argentina, Alfredo Di Stefano acquired Spanish citizenship in 1956, and went on to play for the Spanish national football team.[9]
B. ^ Despite being born in Argentina, Omar Sívori acquired Italian citizenship in 1961, and went on to play for the Italian national football team.[10]
C. ^ Johan Cruyff was signed by Barcelona from Ajax mid-way through 1973.[11]
D. ^ Gary Lineker was signed by Barcelona from Everton mid-way through 1986.
E. ^ Ruud Gullit was signed by Milan from PSV Eindhoven mid-way through 1987.[12]
F. ^ Paulo Futre was signed by Atlético Madrid from Porto mid-way through 1987.
G. ^ Frank Rijkaard was signed by Milan from Real Zaragoza mid-way through 1988.
H. ^ George Weah was signed by Milan from Paris Saint-Germain mid-way through 1995.[13]
I. ^ Ronaldo was signed by Internazionale from Barcelona mid-way through 1997.[14]
J. ^ Luís Figo was signed by Real Madrid from Barcelona mid-way through 2000.[15]
K. ^ Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid from Internazionale mid-way through 2002.[16]
L. ^ Deco was signed by Barcelona from Porto mid-way through 2004.
M. Fabio Cannavaro was signed by Real Madrid from Juventus mid-way through 2006.[17]
N. ^ Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid from Manchester United mid-way through 2009.[18]
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