Ballon d’Or Winners Since 1956 (Full List)
Ballon d’Or winners are well-known as the best football players worldwide. This Ballon d’Or is an annual award that was first awarded in 1956. In this article, you will see the full list of the Ballon d’Or winners since 1956.
Full List of the Ballon d’Or Winners Since 1956
Below here is the list of the Ballon d’Or wins since 1956:
| YEAR | NAME OF PLAYER | CITIZENSHIP | CLUB |
| 1956 | Stanley Matthews | English | Blackpool |
| 1957 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spaniard | Real Madrid |
| 1958 | Raymond Kopa | French | Real Madrid |
| 1959 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spaniard | Real Madrid |
| 1960 | Luis Suárez | Spaniard | Barcelona |
| 1961 | Omar Sívori | Italian | Juventus |
| 1962 | Josef Masopust | Czech | Dukla Prague |
| 1963 | Lev Yashin | Soviet Citizen | Dynamo Moscow |
| 1964 | Denis Law | Scottish | Manchester United |
| 1965 | Eusébio | Portuguese | Benfica |
| 1966 | Bobby Charlton | English | Manchester United |
| 1967 | Flórián Albert | Hungarian | Ferencv rosi TC |
| 1968 | George Best | Ulsterman | Manchester United |
| 1969 | Gianni Rivera | Italy | Milan |
| 1970 | Gerd Müller | Wessi | Bayern Munich |
| 1971 | Johan Cruyff | Dutch | Ajax |
| 1972 | Franz Beckenbauer | Wessi | Bayern Munich |
| 1973 | Johan Cruyff | Dutch | Barcelona |
| 1974 | Johan Cruyff | Dutch | Barcelona |
| 1975 | Oleg Blokhin | Soviet Citizen | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1976 | Franz Beckenbauer | Wessi | Bayern Munich |
| 1977 | Allan Simonsen | Dane | Borussia M”nchengladbach |
| 1978 | Kevin Keegan | English | Hamburg |
| 1979 | Kevin Keegan | English | Hamburg |
| 1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | Wessi | Bayern Munich |
| 1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | Wessi | Bayern Munich |
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italian | Juventus |
| 1983 | Michel Platini | French | Juventus |
| 1984 | Michel Platini | French | Juventus |
| 1985 | Michel Platini | French | Juventus |
| 1986 | Igor Belanov | Soviet Citizen | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1987 | Ruud Gullit | Dutch | Milan |
| 1988 | Marco van Basten | Dutch | Milan |
| 1989 | Marco van Basten | Dutch | Milan |
| 1990 | Lothar Matthäus | German | Internazionale |
| 1991 | Jean-Pierre Papin | French | Marseille |
| 1992 | Marco van Basten | Dutch | Milan |
| 1993 | Roberto Baggio | Italian | Juventus |
| 1994 | Hristo Stoichkov | Bulgarian | Barcelona |
| 1995 | George Weah | Liberian | Milan |
| 1996 | Matthias Sammer | German | Borussia Dortmund |
| 1997 | Ronaldo | Brazillian | Internazionale |
| 1998 | Zinedine Zidane | French | Juventus |
| 1999 | Rivaldo | Brazillian | Barcelona |
| 2000 | Luís Figo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
| 2001 | Michael Owen | English | Liverpool |
| 2002 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Real Madrid |
| 2003 | Pavel Nedvěd | Czech | Juventus |
| 2004 | Andriy Shevchenko | Ukrainian | Milan |
| 2005 | Ronaldinho | Brazillian | Barcelona |
| 2006 | Fabio Cannavaro | Italian | Real Madrid |
| 2007 | Kaká | Brazillian | Milan |
| 2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portuguese | Manchester United |
| 2009 | Lionel Messi | Argentine | Barcelona |
| 2010 | Lionel Messi | Argentine | Barcelona |
| 2011 | Lionel Messi | Argentine | Barcelona |
| 2012 | Lionel Messi | Argentine | Barcelona |
| 2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portuguese | Real Madrid |
| 2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portuguese | Real Madrid |
| 2015 | Lionel Messi | Argentine | Barcelona |
| 2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portuguese | Real Madrid |
| 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portuguese | Real Madrid |
| 2018 | Luka Modric | Croat | Real Madrid |
| 2019 | Lionel Messi | Argentine | Barcelona |
| 2020 | Not Awarded | Nil | – |
| 2021 | Lionel Messi | Argentine | Barcelona |
| 2022 | Not Yet Awarded | Nil | Not Yet Awarded |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who got the First Ballon d’Or Award?
Stanley Matthews
Stanley Matthews of Blackpool and England was the inaugural winner while Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United and Real Madrid have dominated the 21st century, winning 12 times between them.
Who was the Best Football Player in the World in 1956?
Stanley Matthews
The 1956 Ballon d’Or was the inaugural Ballon d’Or award winner given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries. Stanley Matthews received the award on 18 December 1956.
Conclusion
Ballon d’Or is an annual award presented by France Football, a French news magazine. This award is major for the best footballers of the year. Check out the above list to see the Ballon d’Or winners since 1956.
