Ballon d’Or Winners List: Every Winner Since 1956, and the 2026 Ceremony
Ousmane Dembélé is the current Ballon d’Or holder. The Paris Saint-Germain forward won the 2025 award in Paris, ahead of Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal and his PSG teammate Vitinha, after leading PSG to their first Champions League title. The 2026 ceremony, the 70th edition, will be held in London on 26 October, the first time the award has been presented in England.
Below is every men’s Ballon d’Or winner since the first award in 1956, the players, clubs and countries with the most wins, and how the voting works. We will update this page when the 2026 winner is announced.
Quick facts
- Current holder: Ousmane Dembélé (2025)
- Most wins: Lionel Messi, 8
- First winner: Stanley Matthews, 1956
- 2026 ceremony: 26 October 2026, London
- Only year not awarded: 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic
Every Ballon d’Or winner (1956–2025)
The club shown is where the player was playing in the year of the award.
| Year | Winner | Country | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Ousmane Dembélé | France | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 2024 | Rodri | Spain | Manchester City |
| 2023 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Inter Miami |
| 2022 | Karim Benzema | France | Real Madrid |
| 2021 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Paris Saint-Germain |
| 2020 | Not awarded (COVID-19) | — | — |
| 2019 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2018 | Luka Modrić | Croatia | Real Madrid |
| 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2015 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2012 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2011 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2010 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2009 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
| 2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Manchester United |
| 2007 | Kaká | Brazil | Milan |
| 2006 | Fabio Cannavaro | Italy | Real Madrid |
| 2005 | Ronaldinho | Brazil | Barcelona |
| 2004 | Andriy Shevchenko | Ukraine | Milan |
| 2003 | Pavel Nedvěd | Czech Republic | Juventus |
| 2002 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Real Madrid |
| 2001 | Michael Owen | England | Liverpool |
| 2000 | Luís Figo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 1999 | Rivaldo | Brazil | Barcelona |
| 1998 | Zinedine Zidane | France | Juventus |
| 1997 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Inter |
| 1996 | Matthias Sammer | Germany | Borussia Dortmund |
| 1995 | George Weah | Liberia | Milan |
| 1994 | Hristo Stoichkov | Bulgaria | Barcelona |
| 1993 | Roberto Baggio | Italy | Juventus |
| 1992 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1991 | Jean-Pierre Papin | France | Marseille |
| 1990 | Lothar Matthäus | West Germany | Inter |
| 1989 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1988 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1987 | Ruud Gullit | Netherlands | Milan |
| 1986 | Igor Belanov | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1985 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1984 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1983 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italy | Juventus |
| 1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1979 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburg |
| 1978 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburg |
| 1977 | Allan Simonsen | Denmark | Borussia Mönchengladbach |
| 1976 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1975 | Oleg Blokhin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1974 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Barcelona |
| 1973 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Barcelona |
| 1972 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1971 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | Ajax |
| 1970 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1969 | Gianni Rivera | Italy | Milan |
| 1968 | George Best | Northern Ireland | Manchester United |
| 1967 | Flórián Albert | Hungary | Ferencváros |
| 1966 | Bobby Charlton | England | Manchester United |
| 1965 | Eusébio | Portugal | Benfica |
| 1964 | Denis Law | Scotland | Manchester United |
| 1963 | Lev Yashin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Moscow |
| 1962 | Josef Masopust | Czechoslovakia | Dukla Prague |
| 1961 | Omar Sívori | Italy | Juventus |
| 1960 | Luis Suárez | Spain | Barcelona |
| 1959 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain | Real Madrid |
| 1958 | Raymond Kopa | France | Real Madrid |
| 1957 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain | Real Madrid |
| 1956 | Stanley Matthews | England | Blackpool |
Most Ballon d’Or wins by player
| Player | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | 8 | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 5 | 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 |
| Johan Cruyff | 3 | 1971, 1973, 1974 |
| Michel Platini | 3 | 1983, 1984, 1985 |
| Marco van Basten | 3 | 1988, 1989, 1992 |
Five players have won it twice: Alfredo Di Stéfano, Franz Beckenbauer, Kevin Keegan, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and the Brazilian Ronaldo.
Clubs with the most winners
| Club | Wins |
|---|---|
| Barcelona | 12 |
| Real Madrid | 12 |
| Juventus | 8 |
| Milan | 8 |
| Bayern Munich | 5 |
| Manchester United | 4 |
How the Ballon d’Or is decided
The award is organised by France Football, with UEFA as a partner since 2024. A panel of journalists, one from each of the top 100 countries in FIFA’s men’s ranking, votes on a shortlist of 30 players. Since 2022 the award has covered a football season (August to July) rather than a calendar year, and voters are asked to weigh individual performances and decisive moments first, then team success, then class and fair play.
Moments that shaped the award
1995: George Weah opens it up
Until 1995 only European players were eligible. That year the rule changed, and Liberia’s George Weah, then at Milan, became the first and still the only African winner.
2008 to 2017: the Messi and Ronaldo decade
For ten straight years, the award went to either Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Luka Modrić broke the run in 2018 after leading Croatia to the World Cup final.
2024: Rodri, a midfielder’s award
Manchester City’s Rodri won after helping City to a fourth straight Premier League title and being named player of the tournament as Spain won Euro 2024. It was a rare win for a holding midfielder in an award usually dominated by forwards.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the Ballon d’Or in 2025?
Ousmane Dembélé of Paris Saint-Germain and France.
When is the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony?
On 26 October 2026 in London.
Who has won the most Ballon d’Ors?
Lionel Messi, with eight. Cristiano Ronaldo has five.
Has a Premier League player won the Ballon d’Or?
Yes: Cristiano Ronaldo with Manchester United in 2008, Michael Owen with Liverpool in 2001, and Rodri with Manchester City in 2024, plus earlier winners from the old First Division such as Stanley Matthews, Denis Law, Bobby Charlton and George Best.
See how the winners’ clubs fared in Europe in the Champions League winners list and the World Cup winners list.
Sources: UEFA: 2026 ceremony date and host city, 2025 Ballon d’Or. Last checked September 2026.
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