Ballon d’Or Winners
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The Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year merged in 2010
A full list of the Ballon d’Or winners and runners-up since 1956.
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.
Lionel Messi has won the award a record four times, with three players each having claimed it on three occasions: Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, and Marco van Basten.
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.
1956
1st Stanley Matthews (English, Blackpool)
2nd Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentinean, Real Madrid)
3rd Raymond Kopa (French, Real Madrid)
1957
1st Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentinean, Real Madrid)
2nd Billy Wright (English, Wolverhampton Wanderers)
3rd= Duncan Edwards (English, Manchester United)
3rd= Raymond Kopa (French, Real Madrid)
1958
1st Raymond Kopa (French, Real Madrid)
2nd Helmut Rahn (West German, Rot-Weiss Essen)
3rd Just Fontaine (French, Stade Reims)
1959
1st Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentinean, Real Madrid)
2nd Raymond Kopa (French, Real Madrid)
3rd John Charles (Welsh, Juventus)
1960
1st Luis Suarez (Spanish, Barcelona)
2nd Ferenc Puskas (Hungarian, Real Madrid)
3rd Uwe Seeler (West German, Hamburg)
1961
1st Omar Sivori (Argentinean, Juventus)
2nd Luis Suarez (Spanish, Inter Milan)
3rd Johnny Haynes (English, Fulham)
1962
1st Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakian, Dukla Prague)
2nd Eusebio (Portuguese, Benfica)
3rd Karl-Heinz Schnellinger (West German, Koln)
1963
1st Lev Yashin (Soviet Union, Dynamo Moscow)
2nd Gianni Rivera (Italian, AC Milan)
3rd Jimmy Greaves (English, Tottenham Hotspur)
1964
1st Denis Law (Scottish, Manchester United)
2nd Luis Suarez (Spanish, Inter Milan)
3rd Amancio (Spanish, Real Madrid)
1965
1st Eusebio (Portuguese, Benfica)
2nd Giacinto Facchetti (Italian, Inter Milan)
3rd Luis Suarez (Spanish, Real Madrid)
1966
1st Bobby Charlton (English, Manchester United)
2nd Eusebio (Portuguese, Benfica)
3rd Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich)
1967
1st Florian Albert (Hungarian, Ferencváros)
2nd Bobby Charlton (English, Manchester United)
3rd Jimmy Johnstone (Scottish, Celtic)
1968
1st George Best (Irish, Manchester United)
2nd Bobby Charlton (English, Manchester United)
3rd Dragan Džajić (Yugoslavian, Red Star Belgrade)
1969
1st Gianni Rivera (Italian, AC Milan)
2nd Luigi Riva (Italian, Cagliari)
3rd Gerd Muller (West German, Bayern Munich)
1970
1st Gerd Muller (West German, Bayern Munich)
2nd Bobby Moore (English, West Ham United)
3rd Luigi Riva (Italian, Cagliari)
1971
1st Johan Cruyff (Dutch, Ajax)
2nd Sandro Mazzola (Italian, Inter Milan)
3rd George Best (Irish, Manchester United)
1972
1st Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich)
2nd Gerd Muller (West German, Bayern Munich)
3rd Gunter Netzer (West German, Borussia Monchengladbach)
1973
1st Johan Cruyff (Dutch, Barcelona)
2nd Dino Zoff (Italian, Juventus)
3rd Gerd Muller (West German, Bayern Munic)
1974
1st Johan Cruyff (Dutch, Barcelona)
2nd Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich)
3rd Kazimierz Deyna (Polish, Legia Warsaw)
1975
1st Oleg Blokhin (Soviet Union, Dynamo Kiev)
2nd Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich)
3rd Johan Cruyff (Dutch, Barcelona)
1976
1st Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich)
2nd Rob Rensenbrink (Dutch, Anderlecht)
3rd Ivo Viktor (Czechoslovakian, Dukla Prague)
1977
1st Allan Simonsen (Danish, Borussia Monchengladbach)
2nd Kevin Keegan (English, Hamburg)
3rd Michel Platini (French, Nancy)
1978
1st Kevin Keegan (English, Hamburg)
2nd Hans Krankl (Austrian, Barcelona)
3rd Rob Rensenbrink (Dutch, Anderlecht)
1979
1st Kevin Keegan (English, Hamburg)
2nd Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West German, Bayern Munich)
3rd Ruud Krol (Dutch, Ajax)
1980
1st Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West German, Bayern Munich)
2nd Bernd Schuster (West German, Real Madrid)
3rd Michel Platini (French, Saint-Etienne)
1981
1st Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West German, Bayern Munich)
2nd Paul Breitner (West German, Bayern Munich)
3rd Bernd Schuster (West German, Barcelona)
1982
1st Paolo Rossi (Italian, Juventus)
2nd Alain Giresse (French, Bordeaux)
3rd Zbigniew Boniek (Polish, Juventus)
1983
1st Michel Platini (French, Juventus)
2nd Kenny Dalglish (Scottish, Liverpool)
3rd Allan Simonsen (Danish, Vejle)
1984
1st Michel Platini (French, Juventus)
2nd Jean Tigana (French, Bordeaux)
3rd Preben Elkjær (Danish, Verona)
1985
1st Michel Platini (French, Juventus)
2nd Preben Elkjær (Danish, Verona)
3rd Bernd Schuster (West German, Barcelona)
1986
1st Igor Belanov (Soviet Union, Dynamo Kyiv)
2nd Gary Lineker (English, Barcelona)
3rd Emilio Butragueño (Spanish, Real Madrid)
1987
1st Ruud Gullit (Dutch, AC Milan)
2nd Paulo Futre (Portuguese, Atletico Madrid)
3rd Emilio Butragueño (Spanish, Real Madrid)
1988
1st Marco van Basten (Dutch, AC Milan)
2nd Ruud Gullit (Dutch, AC Milan)
3rd Frank Rijkaard (Dutch, AC Milan)
1989
1st Marco van Basten (Dutch, AC Milan)
2nd Franco Baresi (Italian, Milan)
3rd Frank Rijkaard (Dutch, Milan)
1990
1st Lothar Matthaus (German, Inter Milan)
2nd Salvatore Schillaci (Italian, Juventus)
3rd Andreas Brehme (German, Inter Milan)
1991
1st 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)
1992
1st Marco van Basten (Dutch, AC Milan)
2nd Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgarian, Barcelona)
3rd Dennis Bergkamp (Dutch, Ajax)
1993
1st Roberto Baggio (Italian, Juventus)
2nd Dennis Bergkamp (Dutch, Inter Milan)
3rd Eric Cantona (French, Manchester United)
1994
1st Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgarian, Barcelona)
2nd Roberto Baggio (Italian, Juventus)
3rd Paolo Maldini (Italian, AC Milan)
1995
1st George Weah (Liberian, AC Milan)
2nd Jurgen Klinsmann (German, Bayern Munich)
3rd Jari Litmanen (Finnish, Ajax)
1996
1st Matthias Sammer (German, Borussia Dortmund)
2nd Ronaldo (Brazilian, Barcelona)
3rd Alan Shearer (English, Newcastle United)
1997
1st Ronaldo (Brazilian, Inter Milan)
2nd Predrag Mijatović (Yugoslavian, Real Madrid)
3rd Zinedine Zidane (French, Juventus)
1998
1st Zinedine Zidane (French, Juventus)
2nd Davor Suker (Croatian, Real Madrid)
3rd Ronaldo (Brazilian, Inter Milan)
1999
1st Rivaldo (Brazilian, Barcelona)
2nd David Beckham (English, Manchester United)
3rd Andriy Shevchenko (Ukrainian, AC Milan)
2000
1st Luis Figo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)
2nd Zinedine Zidane (French, Real Madrid)
3rd Andriy Shevchenko (Ukrainian, AC Milan)
2001
1st Michael Owen (English, Liverpool)
2nd Raul (Spanish, Real Madrid)
3rd Oliver Kahn (German, Bayern Munich)
2002
1st Ronaldo (Brazilian, Real Madrid)
2nd Roberto Carlos (Brazilian, Real Madrid)
3rd Oliver Kahn (German, Bayern Munich)
2003
1st Pavel Nedved (Czech, Juventus)
2nd Thierry Henry (French, Arsenal)
3rd Paolo Maldini (Italian, AC Milan)
2004
1st Andriy Shevchenko (Ukrainian, AC Milan)
2nd Deco (Portuguese, Barcelona)
3rd Ronaldinho (Brazilian, Barcelona)
2005
1st Ronaldinho (Brazilian, Barcelona)
2nd Frank Lampard (English, Chelsea)
3rd Steven Gerrard (English, Liverpool)
2006
1st Fabio Cannavaro (Italian, Real Madrid)
2nd Gianluigi Buffon (Italian, Juventus)
3rd Thierry Henry (French, Arsenal)
2007
1st Kaka (Brazilian, AC Milan)
2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Manchester United)
3rd Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)
2008
1st Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Manchester United)
2nd Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)
3rd Fernando Torres (Spanish, Liverpool)
2009
1st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)
2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)
3rd Xavi Hernandez (Spanish, Barcelona)
FIFA Ballon d'Or
2010
1st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)
2nd Andres Iniesta (Spanish, Barcelona)
3rd Xavi Hernandez (Spanish, Barcelona)
2011
1st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)
2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)
3rd Xavi Hernandez (Spanish, Barcelona)
2012
1st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona)
2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid)
3rd Andres Iniesta (Spanish, Barcelona)
