Ballon d'Or: historical list with all the winners

France Football has presented the Ballon d'Or since 1956 as recognition of the best footballer of the year and since 2018 also to the best female footballer. The 2025 edition was the 69th in men's football and the 7th edition in women's football.

On Monday, September 22, 2025, Paris Saint-Germain player Ousmane Dembélé was awarded as Best Player of the Year in the men's category and the Spanish player from FC Barcelona Aitana Bonmatí, for the third consecutive year, in the women's category.

Discover the list of winners of the most prestigious individual award in the world of football. These are all the winners of the Ballon d'Or throughout its history.

Men's Ballon d'Or Winners

2025 Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain)
2024 Rodrigo Hernández (Manchester City)
2023 Leo Messi (Inter Miami)
2022 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
2021 Leo Messi (PSG)
2020 -- not held
2019 Leo Messi (FC Barcelona)
2018 Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
2017 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
2016 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
2015 Leo Messi (FC Barcelona)
2014 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
2013 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
2012 Leo Messi (FC Barcelona)
2011 Leo Messi (FC Barcelona)
2010 Leo Messi (FC Barcelona)
2009 Leo Messi (FC Barcelona)
2008 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
2007 Kaká (AC Milan)
2006 Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid)
2005 Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona)
2004 Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan)
2003 Pavel Nedved (Juventus)
2002 Ronaldo Nazario (Real Madrid)
2001 Michael Owen (Liverpool)
2000 Luis Figo (Real Madrid)
1999 Rivaldo (FC Barcelona)
1998 Zinedine Zidane (Juventus)
1997 Ronaldo Nazario (Inter Milan)
1996 Matthias Sammer (Borussia Dortmund)
1995 George Weah (AC Milan)
1994 Hristo Stoitchkov (FC Barcelona)
1993 Roberto Baggio (Juventus)
1992 Marco van Basten (AC Milan)
1991 Jean-Pierre Papin (Olympique Marseille)
1990 Lotthar Matthäus (Inter Milan)
1989 Marco van Basten (AC Milan)
1988 Marco van Basten (AC Milan)
1987 Ruud Gullit (AC Milan)
1986 Igor Belanov (Dinamo Kiev)
1985 Michel Platini (Juventus)
1984 Michel Platini (Juventus)
1983 Michel Platini (Juventus)
1982 Paolo Rossi (Juventus)
1981 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Münich)
1980 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Münich)
1979 Kevin Keegan (Hamburg)
1978 Kevin Keegan (Hamburg)
1977 Allan Simonsen (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
1976 Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Münich)
1975 Oleg Blokhin (Dinamo Kiev)
1974 Johan Cruyff (FC Barcelona)
1973 Johan Cruyff (FC Barcelona)
1972 Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Münich)
1971 Johan Cruyff (Ajax)
1970 Gerd Müller (Bayern Münich)
1969 Gianni Rivera (AC Milan)
1968 George Best (Manchester United)
1967 Florian Albert (Ferencvaros)
1966 Bobby Charlton (Manchester United)
1965 Eusebio (Benfica)
1964 Denis Law (Manchester United)
1963 Lev Yashin (Dinamo Moscow)
1962 Josef Masopust (Dukla Prague)
1961 Omar Sívori (Juventus)
1960 Luis Suárez (FC Barcelona)
1959 Alfredo di Stéfano (Real Madrid)
1958 Raymond Kopa (Real Madrid)
1957 Alfredo di Stéfano (Real Madrid)
1956 Stanley Matthews (Blackpool)

Ranking of the players who have won the most Ballon d'Or awards

Leo Messi with his eighth Ballon d'Or

Leo Messi is the most awarded player in the history of the award, with 8 awards. He is followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five trophies, who won his last award in 2017. Far from the two players with the most awards, there are three footballers who have managed to win the award on three occasions: Platini, Cruyff and Van Basten:

8 Ballon d'Or:

Lionel Messi (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023)

5 Ballon d'Or:

Cristiano Ronaldo (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017)

3 Ballon d'Or:

Michel Platini (1983, 1984 and 1985)
Johan Cruyff (1971, 1973 and 1974)
Marco van Basten (1988, 1989 and 1992)

2 Ballon d'Or:

Franz Beckenbauer (1972 and 1976)
Ronaldo Nazario (1997 and 2002)
Alfredo Di Stefano (1957 and 1959)
Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979)
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1980 and 1981)

1 Ballon d'Or:

Ousmane Dembélé (2025)
Rodrigo Hernández (2024)
Karim Benzema (2022)
Luka Modric (2018)
Kaká (2007)
Fabio Cannavaro (2006)
Ronaldinho (2005)
Andriy Shevchenko (2004)
Pavel Nedved (2003)
Michael Owen (2001)
Luis Figo (2000)
Rivaldo (1999)
Zinedine Zidane (1998)
Mathias Sammer (1996)
George Weah (1995)
Hristo Stoichkov (1994)
Roberto Baggio (1993)
Jean-Pierre Papin (1991)
Lothar Matthaüs (1990)
Ruud Gullit (1987)
Igor Belanov (1986)
Paolo Rossi (1982)
Allan Simonsen (1977)
Oleg Blojin (1975)
Johan Cruyff (1974)
Gerd Müller (1970)
Gianni Rivera (1969)
George Best (1968)
Florian Albert (1967)
Bobby Charlton (1966)
Eusebio da Silva (1965)
Denis Law (1964)
Lev Yashin (1963)
Josef Masopust (1962)
Omar Sivori (1961)
Luis Suarez (1960)
Raymond Kopa (1958)
Stanley Matthews (1956)

Women's Ballon d'Or Winners

Regarding the Women's Ballon d'Or, it is worth highlighting the captain of FC Barcelona, Alexia Putellas, who made history by being the first Spanish player to win one of the most desired awards in the world of football. The following season she revalidated the award, being the first footballer to win the award two times in a row.

The following year an injury removed Alexia from the field for a large part of the season, so she was not among the nominees. Finally, Aitana Bonmatí won the coveted trophy for the first time after winning absolutely everything on an individual and collective level. The following edition she won the award again, equaling her teammate Alexia Putellas, and with the Ballon d'Or obtained in 2025, she becomes the first and only player to win three Ballon d'Or awards and also consecutively.

2025 Aitana Bonmatí (FC Barcelona)
2024 Aitana Bonmatí (FC Barcelona)
2023 Aitana Bonmatí (FC Barcelona)
2022 Alexia Putellas (FC Barcelona)
2021 Alexia Putellas (FC Barcelona)
2020 - not held
2019 Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign)
2018 Ada Hegerberg (Olympique Lyon)

Ranking of the players who have won the most Women's Ballon d'Or awards

Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas, are the most awarded players in the history of the award, with 3 and 2 respectively, and also consecutively. In fact, between the two FC Barcelona players have won the last 5 editions.

3. Ballon d'Or:

1. Aitana Bonmatí (2023, 2024 and 2025)