Every Ballon d'Or Winner Ranked From Worst to Best

Winning the Ballon d’Or is not for the faint of heart: it takes an entire year of hard labor to master one’s profession, with very few hiccups allowed throughout that time. Football’s most coveted award is given to the sport’s best for exactly that purpose, right?

While, for obvious reasons, no Ballon d’Or winner can be called a bad footballer, there have been varied levels of brilliance since Stanley Matthews won the inaugural award in 1956. Alas, here are all 46 wins, sorted from worst to best using the parameters listed below.

46-41

Former Borussia Dortmund player Matthias Sammer, while not a bad player, failed to catch fans’ imagination in the same way that previous victors. The same can be said for Igor Belanov, who won it in 1986 while playing for the less fashionable Dynamo Kyiv. A memorable occasion was his hat-trick against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup, but Gary Lineker has every reason to be upset with second place.

Pavel Nedved’s Ballon d’Or win in 2003 is rather contentious, given that Thierry Henry, one of the best players to never win the award, had a 42-goal season and 26 assists. Instead, Juventus’ tricky Czech winger, who scored 14 goals and assisted three times in 47 games, was crowned: he is placed 44th, just behind Fabio Cannavaro.

Fabio Cannavaro won the Ballon d'Or on this day in 2006 🏆

He's the last defender to win the award. pic.twitter.com/kNUyWJJ6hh

— GOAL (@goal) November 27, 2021

Andriy Shevchenko was unquestionably a good striker, but he is not on the same level as past Ballon d’Or winners. That year, however, he led Serie A in goalscoring with 24 strikers, while AC Milan won the Italian championship. There was also debate about whether Rodri should have beaten Los Blancos star Vinicius Jr. to the top slot in 2024.

George Weah, an ex-striker widely recognized as one of the best African players in football history, and his 1995 victory were also debated due to the abundance of quality available at the time. Karim Benzema’s triumph three years ago continues to divide opinion to this day, but let us not forget his role in Real Madrid’s glory and France’s Nations League victory that year.

The Frenchman scored a lot of goals and arguably deserved the award; right in front of him was Kevin Keegan, who was named the best player in the world in 1978 and 1979 while playing for Hamburg, a lesser-known German club. Two football giants, Roberto Baggio and Rivaldo, rank 34th and 33rd, respectively, and are far from unworthy winners. During that time, the latter won La Liga with Barcelona and the Copa América with Brazil.

Matthews, the oldest winner at 41, became the first of many world-beaters to be crowned the beautiful game’s leading superstar, while Luis Figo’s victory in 2000, finishing ahead of the enigmatic Zinedine Zidane (more on him later), was the second most contentious event involving the Portuguese winger in 2000. That was the year he left Camp Nou for Santiago Bernabeu, when a pig’s head was hurled in his direction.

Every Ballon d’Or Winner Ranked From Worst to Best (40-31)

Rank

Player

Ballon d’Or Wins

40.

Andrey Shevchenko

2004

39.

Rodri

2024

38.

George Weah

1995

37.

Karim Benzema

2022

36.

Josef Masoput

1962

35.

Kevin Keegan

1978 and 1979

34.

Roberto Baggio

1993

33.

Rivaldo

1999

32.

Stanley Matthews

1956

31.

Luis Figo

2000

30-21

Kaka holds a particular place in football history, having won the trophy on the eve of the Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi period. The brilliant Brazilian is the 29th best Ballon d’Or winner in history. He’s slightly behind the sole successful goalkeeper, Lev Yashin. The goalie is the only player in his position to have been named football’s greatest, which is an accomplishment to be proud of.

Luka Modric played an important role in Real Madrid’s Champions League title and Croatia’s run to the 2018 World Cup final, interjecting Ronaldo and Messi’s dominance of world football. The midfielder may not have as many goals and assists as others, but his impact from the center of the park cannot be underestimated. Denis Law, recognized as one of Manchester United’s greatest players of all time, was a trailblazer in the 1960s, winning the sport’s best player award in 1964.

He is slightly behind midfield general Ruud Gullit, who won in 1987. Famously, the midfielder-turned-manager dedicated his award to Nelson Mandela. Jean-Pierre Papin and Hristo Stoichkov, both centre-forwards, are footballing icons in their own right, having won the title in the early 1990s. Omari Sivori and Oleg Blokhin, lesser-known stars who won the Ballon d’Or in 1961 and 1975, respectively, round out the category.

Every Ballon d’Or Winner Ranked From Worst to Best (30-21)

Rank

Player

Ballon d’Or Wins

30.

Paulo Rossi

1982

29.

Kaka

2007

28.

Lev Yashin

1963

27.

Luca Modric

2018

26.

Denis Law

1964

25.

Ruud Gullit

1987

24.

Jean-Pierre Papin

1991

23.

Hristo Stoichkov

1994

22.

Omar Sivori

1961

21.

Oleg Blokhin

1975

20-11

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was the Bundesliga’s top goalscorer in both of his Ballon d’Or-winning seasons (1980 and 1981), and he also won Euro 1980 with Germany. His cause benefited from both home and international success. Marco van Basten’s career is shrouded in mystery, considering that he resigned in 1995 at the age of 30, but the fact that he won three Ballon d’Or awards attests to his goal-scoring abilities.

Then there’s Ronaldinho, who is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world. The winger’s ingenuity and poise were a cut above the rest, earning him the 17th spot on this star-studded list. In 2005, he won the Champions League and La Liga, earning him the title of football’s best.

George Best, a superstar on and off the field, was a clever winger who wreaked havoc around Europe (most notably in England) at the pinnacle of his abilities – and he’s only second to two football icons, Michel Platini and Eusebio. Lothar Matthaus, the winner in 1990, is ranked thirteenth. In that year, the German midfield general led West Germany to World Cup triumph, but Serie A champion status eluded him.

It may come as a surprise that Zidane only won once, but he did so after playing an important role in France’s 1998 World Cup victory. England’s sole World Cup victory came in 1966, and Sir Bobby Charlton was vital in Sir Alf Ramsey’s success, which is why the Old Trafford hero received the trophy.

Every Ballon d’Or Winner Ranked From Worst to Best (20-11)

Rank

Player

Ballon d’Or Wins

20.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge

1980 and 1981

19.

Florian Albert

1967

18.

Marco Van Basten

1988, 1989 and 1992

17.

Ronaldinho

2005

16.

George Best

1968

15.

Michel Platini

1983, 1984 and 1985

14.

Eusebio

1965

13.

Lothar Matthaus

1990

12.

Zinedine Zidane

1998

11.

Sir Bobby Charlon

1966

10-1
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Let’s take a journey down memory lane and revisit the best, beginning with Gianna Rivera and Raymond Kopa, who won the honor in 1969 and 1958, respectively. The latter, a midfield general, was so brilliant that a prize, the Kopa Trophy, was named after him. Luis Suarez – no, not that Luis Suarez! – won in 1960.

Bayern Munich’s royalty Gerd Muller, dubbed Der Bomber, was the deserving prize in 1970 after scoring numerous goals for Bayern Munich. The marksman’s Golden Boot-winning performance in the 1970 World Cup most likely aided his case when it came to selecting the best players. The same is true for Alfredo Di Stefano, who is largely recognized as one of the best strikers in football history.

Putting aside their entire careers, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff have won the Ballon d’Or multiple times and deserve to be in the top 10. In all honesty, the former is one of the most significant football players of all time. Despite his injury issues, the talismanic Ronaldo Nazario was a joyful footballer who won it twice: in 1997 and 2002.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, whose Ballon d’Or dominance is unsurprising considering their incredible talent, are second and first in the standings. The latter is the clear winner, having won it eight times between 2009 and 2023. But, let’s be honest, when it comes to Ballon d’Or status, they’re in a class by themselves. Footballers are simply incredible.

Every Ballon d’Or Winner Ranked From Worst to Best (10-1)

Rank

Player

Ballon d’Or Wins

10.

Gianni Rivera

1969

Raymond Kopa

1958

Luis Suárez

1960

Gerd Muller