Ballon d'Or winners throughout history

The Ballon d'Or, a prestigious football award presented annually, honors the world's best footballer over the preceding year. With a rich history spanning over half a century, the Ballon d'Or has become an emblem of excellence in international football. In this exploration of the Ballon d'Or storied past, we delve into the annals to uncover the legends who have left an indelible mark on the sport. We'll highlight the illustrious record holders who have clinched this coveted title multiple times, underscoring their unparalleled contributions to the beautiful game.

As we celebrate these football icons, their achievements remind us of the boundless passion and dedication that define the sport. For fans seeking to immerse themselves further in the world of excitement, Staycasino review offers an engaging platform where the spirit of the game comes alive. Whether you're a fan of the classic or the table games today, this website provides a vibrant space for enthusiasts

History of the Golden Ball

The idea to create the "Golden Ball" belongs to the magazine France Football, which was founded in 1946 and since then has become the leading sports magazine in France.
In 1956, the magazine decided to create an award for the best footballer in Europe, based on the principle of voting. Voting was conducted in several stages. First, journalists from different countries made a list of the best footballers. Then this list was reduced to 30-40 best players. After that, journalists chose the winner from the list of players who were nominated for the award.
The first winner of the Golden Ball was Stanley Mathewson of Blackburn Rovers, who distinguished himself with an excellent game and was recognised as the best footballer in Europe in the 1955-1956 season.
For many years the Golden Ball was awarded only to European footballers, but in 1995 the rules were changed and the award began to be given to the best footballer in the world. George Vea of AC Milan became the first non-European winner of the Ballon d'Or in 1995. Two years later, in 1997, Brazil's Ronaldo became the first South American Ballon d'Or winner.

Changing voting rules

From 1956 to 2006, the Ballon d'Or was awarded by voting between football journalists; since 2007, coaches and captains of national teams have had the right to vote.
The criteria by which this or that player was determined worthy of the main prize were rather vague. Formally, they were based on three parameters: performance in the season, both individually and as part of the team, the level of the player, the career of the player.
Due to the vagueness of the awarding rules, there were many moments in the 21st century when fans disagreed with the results of the voting. For example, Lionel Messi in 2010. This is one of the most baffling Golden Balls in the history of football.

Messi's strange Golden Balls

That year, Iniesta not only led Barcelona to the championship, but also won the World Cup. Iniesta also scored the decisive goal in the final of the tournament and became the best player. Sneijder was also one of the contenders and won the Champions League with Inter, becoming the best player of the tournament. Sneijder also led the Dutch national team to the final of the World Cup.
Not only journalists, but also captains and coaches of the national teams voted, so everyone massively "poured" votes into Messi, and he won, although he showed little that season. It was one of his most inexplicable seasons, and together with the national team he was disgraced by Germany.

Player of the Year

In 1991, FIFA created its own award called the FIFA Player of the Year, which had a similar aim - to identify the best footballer of the year. Very often the award was given to the same players. Because of this, in 2010, during the World Cup, they created a new single award, the FIFA Ballon d'Or.
Six years later, the cooperation between France Football and FIFA was terminated, so the award was no longer presented, and the Ballon d'Or was once again presented by France Football.

The latest Ballon d'Or

The last time the rules of awarding the prize were changed in 2022. Now the results of players are taken into account not for the calendar year, but for the season. The main criterion for choosing the best footballer is his individual achievements, not the team's victories. In addition, to vote for the winner can only vote for representatives of countries in the top-100 rating of the International Federation of Football (FIFA).
It is noted that the rules were changed for the sake of making them more understandable for fans. In August 2022 announced 30 nominees for the "Golden Ball" 2022. The ceremony to announce the winners took place on 17 October at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The winner was Real Madrid player Karim Benzema.
Since the creation of the Ballon d'Or, it has only been cancelled once, in 2020, due to a coronavirus pandemic.

Ballon d'Or record holders

Despite the passing of the era of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, although it could be argued here, due to the latter's World Cup victory, they remain at the top of the Golden Ball charts.
Lionel Messi has 8 goals: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023. Cristiano Ronaldo has 5: 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017. Three players have won the award 3 times each: Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985), Johan Cruyff (1971, 1973, 1974), Marco Van Basten (1988, 1989, 1992).
The club record holder in terms of the number of golden goals is Barcelona. The club's players have won the award 13 times: Luis Suarez (1960), Johan Cruyff (1971, 1973, 1974), Hristo Stoichkov (1994), Rivaldo (1999), Ronaldinho (2005), Lionel Messi (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019).
In second place is the eternal rival of the Catalans - Real Madrid. Its players have received the award 12 times. "Golden Ball" received Alfredo Di Stefano (1957, 1959), Raymond Kopa (1958), Luis Figo (2000), Ronaldo (2002), Fabio Cannavaro (2006), Cristiano Ronaldo (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017), Luka Modric (2018), Karim Benzema (2022).
Representatives of Juventus and AC Milan have won the award 8 times each, Bayern Munich 5 times each, Manchester United 4 times, Dynamo Kiev, Inter and Hamburg twice. Players of other clubs won one Golden Ball each.

Representatives of Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Argentina and France have won the award 7 times each. Italy, Brazil and England have 5 winners of the "Golden Ball", the USSR and Spain have 3. Footballers from other countries have won this award once each.

Revaluation of awards

To mark the 60th anniversary of the first Ballon d'Or ceremony, in 2016 France Football published a reassessment of the awards presented before 1995, when only European players were eligible.
The publication estimated that 12 Ballon d'Ors should have been awarded to players from South America. Pele received 7 honorary Golden Balls for 1958, 1959, 1960, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964 and 1970. Diego Maradona received 2 balls of honour for 1986 and 1990. Garrincha, Mario Kempes and Romario also received honourable awards for their services in football. At the same time, the initial winners remain unchanged.

Winners of the Ballon d'Or are Ukrainians

Ukraine is a country with a rich football history, but only three of its representatives have won the most prestigious individual award "Golden Ball".
Oleh Blokhin received the award in 1975 when he played for Dynamo Kyiv and the USSR national team. In his time, Blokhin was one of the best strikers in the world. During the period of his career, when the USSR national team did not win a single tournament, Blokhin managed to get the Golden Ball. This happened thanks to Dynamo Kyiv's victory in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1975.

Igor Belanov is the second Ukrainian footballer to receive the Golden Ball. He received the award in 1986, when he played for Dynamo Kyiv. According to one version, "Golden Ball" was given to Belanov because he was a symbol of the game of that "Dynamo" Lobanovsky. It was he who became the top scorer of Dynamo in the 1986 Cup Winners' Cup.
Andriy Shevchenko is the last Ukrainian footballer to receive the Golden Ball. He received the award in 2004, when he played for AC Milan and the Ukrainian national team. Shevchenko became the first Ukrainian player to win the Ballon d'Or at the time of Ukraine's independence.