Ballon d'Or: List of all winners from Stanley Matthews to Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi is the only player to win the award on four successive occasions.

The best performer from the top five European leagues from the previous year receives the Ballon d'Or award each year. The first one was given out in 1956. Karim Benzema of Real Madrid is the most recent winner in 2022. Cristiano Ronaldo has won the men's Ballon d'Or award five times, while Lionel Messi holds the record of winning the trophy seven times in total.

The FIFA Player of the Year results, which were combined with the Ballon d'Or between 2009 and 2015 to produce the FIFA Ballon d'Or, are of great interest to many people.

A Ballon d'Or for women has been given out since 2018 under the name Ballon d'Or Féminin.

The 2022 Award

In August, 30 candidates for the Ballon d'Or 2022 were revealed. Lionel Messi, a seven-time champion, did not make the cut (for the first time since 2005), but Cristiano Ronaldo did. On October 17, in a ceremony at Paris' Theatre du Chatelet the winners were announced. France and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema was the victor. However, for the first time in his career, Cristiano Ronaldo got 0 votes to be a winner as he was ranked 20 at the age of 37 this year.

Winners of the Men's Ballon d'Or awards

• Lionel Messi - 2023
• Karim Benzema - 2022
• Lionel Messi -2021
• not awarded - 2020
• Lionel Messi - 2019
• Luka Modric - 2018
• Cristiano Ronaldo - 2017
• Cristiano Ronaldo - 2016
• Lionel Messi - 2015
• Cristiano Ronaldo - 2014
• Cristiano Ronaldo - 2013
• Lionel Messi - 2012
• Lionel Messi - 2011
• Lionel Messi - 2010
• Lionel Messi - 2009
• Cristiano Ronaldo - 2008

• Kaká - 2007
• Fabio Cannavaro - 2006
• Ronaldinho - 2005
• Andriy Shevchenko - 2004
• Pavel Nedvěd - 2003
• Ronaldo - 2002
• Michael Owen - 2001
• Luís Figo - 2000
• Rivaldo - 1999
• Zinedine Zidane - 1998
• Ronaldo - 1997
• Matthias Sammer - 1996
• George Weah - 1995
• Hristo Stoichkov - 1994
• Roberto Baggio - 1993
• Marco van Basten - 1992
• Jean-Pierre Papin - 1991
• Lothar Matthäus - 1990
• Marco van Basten - 1989

• Marco van Basten - 1988
• Ruud Gullit - 1987
• Igor Belanov - 1986
• Michel Platini - 1985
• Michel Platini - 1984
• Michel Platini - 1983
• Paolo Rossi - 1982
• Karl-Heinz Rummenigge - 1981
• Karl-Heinz Rummenigge - 1980

• Kevin Keegan - 1979
• Kevin Keegan - 1978
• Allan Simonsen - 1977
• Franz Beckenbauer - 1976
• Oleg Blokhin - 1975
• Johan Cruyff - 1974
• Johan Cruyff - 1973
• Franz Beckenbauer - 1972
• Johan Cruyff - 1971
• Gerd Müller - 1970
• Gianni Rivera - 1969
• George Best - 1968

• Flórián Albert - 1967
• Bobby Charlton - 1966
• Eusébio - 1965
• Denis Law - 1964
• Lev Yashin - 1963
• Josef Masopust - 1962
• Omar Sívori - 1961
• Luis Suárez - 1960
• Alfredo Di Stéfano - 1959
• Raymond Kopa - 1958
• Alfredo Di Stéfano - 1957
• Stanley Matthews - 1956