Top 10 players with most Ballon d'Or votes in football history

The award is handed out by France Football

We are only a month away from discovering the new Ballon d’Or winner, and many fans already know who will take home the special award. With 44 goals in 44 games and inspiring Real Madrid to the La Liga and the Champions League title, there is no doubt Karim Benzema will win the Ballon d’Or this term.

The award, which Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had almost monopolized for the past decade, has now seen new winners. With more voters, the Ballon d’Or will have more points to award. For example, the first-ever prize winner received 47 points, but today, even the top 10 receive more votes, and the players who picked the most points in Ballon d’Or have a more modern feel to it.

Now without further ado, here are the 10 players who have received the most points in Ballon d’Or history. 

10. Kaka: 550 points 

In 2007, Kaka led AC Milan to the Champions League trophy and was the best player that campaign. With his performance, he was tipped to win the Ballon d’Or, which he eventually did.  

Kaka was the first-ever player to win the Ballon d’Or in the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Brazilian playmaker was the last player to have claimed this prize before Messi and Ronaldo’s legacy began. 

9. Michel Platini: 551 points 

Platini had the world at his feet in his era. The prolific goalscorer was compared to the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona. He was the first player to win the Ballon d’Or three years in a row – in 1983, 1984, and 1985. The record remained unbroken until Lionel Messi broke it in 2009. Additionally, Platini is one of the few players in Ballon d’Or history to have scored the most points.

8. Franz Beckenbauer: 576 points

A terrific player, Beckenbauer is one of three men to win the World Cup both as a player and manager. He won his first World Cup as a player for Germany in 1974 and then again as a manager in 1990.

His shimmering club career paid off handsomely, as he won two Ballon d’Or in his career, in 1972 and 1976, and also joined the list of players with the most Ballon d’Or points in history.

7. Ronaldo: 600 points

Ronaldo could have won more Ballon d’Or awards if it hadn’t been for his weight problems and frequent injuries. Fans flocked to the stadium to see him play, and his goal-scoring ability had them on the floor.

Ronaldo played for many clubs and won countless awards and trophies, but despite playing alongside legends, he was unable to win the Champions League. However, he won the most prestigious individual award – the Ballon d’Or – and set a record for most points.

6, Robert Lewandowski – 672 points

Lewandowski was determined to win the Ballon d’Or when he put in one of his best performances in 2020, scoring goals from left to right, finishing the season with the most goals, and winning the Champions League. However, the 34-year-old was unlucky not to win the honour because the event was abandoned due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Regardless, Lewandowski came close to winning the award in 2021, amassing 580 points, but was beaten out by Lionel Messi, who won his first international trophy at the time.

Also Read: Top 10 players with most Ballon d’Or awards

5. Virgil van Dijk: 679 points

Van Dijk was expected to win the award after an impressive season with Liverpool in 2019. Van Dijk was named Man of the Match in their 2-0 win over Tottenham in the Champions League final. His performance saw him being shortlisted in the 30 football players’ list for the Ballon d’Or. During the award presentation, he finished runner-up behind Lionel Messi.

If Van Dijk had won the prestigious award, he would have become the second defender after Fabio Cannavaro to lift the trophy. Nonetheless, the defender joined the list of Ballon d’Or with most points (679).

4. Zinedine Zidane: 715 points

One of the best playmakers in the history of football, Zidane was the cream of society in football who reached the pinnacle of football with remarkable status. However, his club career with Juventus was not up to the mark, as Juventus lost the Champions League final in 1997 against Dortmund. The following season, Zidane made a great impression and inspired Juventus to their third Champions League final appearance, but once again they came short, as they were narrowly edged by Real Madrid.

However, his 1998 season did not go waste as Zidane won the World Cup with France, and he was chosen as Man of the Match in every game. Steering France to the 1998 World Cup, Zidane was awarded the Ballon D’Or with most-highest points in its history. After his retirement from football, Zidane returned as a Real Madrid manager and guided them to three Champions League in a row.

3. Luka Modric: 837 points

In 2018, the Croatian had a noteworthy season, winning the Champions League and reaching the FIFA World Cup final. Modric’s evolution in football has been phenomenal, and his emergence places him among legendary midfielders.

2018 was an incredible period in his career, as he won the Ballon d’Or and broke Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s Ballon d’Or dominance. He also became the first Croatian to win the Ballon d’Or. However, the award was met with criticism and polarized people in two camps. Several pundits claimed that Modric was not the deserving candidate for this accolade.

2. Lionel Messi: 3,574

Winning seven Ballon d’Or in a career is improbable; but Lionel Messi has made it look effortless. The 35-year-old made a habit of picking up the award, while many dreamed of accomplishing this once in their lives.

Despite winning a record seven Ballon d’Or awards in his career, Lionel Messi has not garnered the most votes in the voting. Aside from winning the award, he has finished second five times and third once.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo: 3,781 points

The former Real Madrid player is the player with the most Ballon d’Or points in history. He has received the honor five times (in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017), been a runner-up five times, and finished third once.

Ronaldo has more points in the award’s history than Lionel Messi, who has seven. Despite the fact that the gap is small, Messi has the potential to outdo the player if he wins any major trophy this year.

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