Ballon d'Or Award
In a nutshell:
Europe's most prestigious award, created back in 1956 by France Football magazine.
Awarded to:
Until 1995 it was only open to footballers of European nationality.
However, since then it has been opened up to anyone playing for a European club.
Voted by:
The award is voted for by a number of European football journalists.
When:
Annually, in December.
Worth a mention:
1. France Football creates a list of candidates (at the moment 50), each voting journalist then picks 5 of these players
and gives them 1,2,3,4 or 5 points.
2. 3 players have won the award 3 times - Cruyff, Platini and Marco van Basten.
Year | Player | Country | Team |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | Barcelona |
2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Manchester Utd |
2007 | Kaka | Brazil | AC Milan |
2006 | Fabio Cannavaro | Italy | Juventus/Real Madrid |
2005 | Ronaldinho | Brazil | FC Barcelona |
2004 | Andriy Shevchenko | Ukraine | A.C. Milan |
2003 | Pavel Nedved | Czech Republic | Juventus |
2002 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Real Madrid |
2001 | Michael Owen | England | Liverpool |
2000 | Luis Figo | Portugal | Real Madrid |
1999 | Rivaldo | Brazil | FC Barcelona |
1998 | Zinedine Zidane | France | Juventus |
1997 | Ronaldo | Brazil | Inter Milan |
1996 | Matthias Sammer | Germany | Borussia Dortmund |
1995 | George Weah | Liberia | A.C. Milan |
1994 | Hristo Stoichkov | Bulgaria | FC Barcelona |
1993 | Roberto Baggio | Italy | Juventus |
1992 | Marco van Basten | Holland | A.C. Milan |
1991 | Jean-Pierre Papin | France | Olympique Marseille |
1990 | Lothar Matthaus | West Germany | Inter Milan |
1989 | Marco van Basten | Holland | A.C. Milan |
1988 | Marco van Basten | Holland | A.C. Milan |
1987 | Ruud Gullit | Holland | A.C. Milan |
1986 | Igor Belanov | USSR | Dynamo Kiev |
1985 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
1984 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
1983 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italy | Juventus |
1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
1979 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburger SV |
1978 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburger SV |
1977 | Allan Simonsen | Denmark | Borussia Moenchengladbach |
1976 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
1975 | Oleg Blokhin | USSR | Dynamo Kiev |
1974 | Johan Cruyff | Holland | Barcelona |
1973 | Johan Cruyff | Holland | Barcelona |
1972 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
1971 | Johan Cruyff | Holland | Ajax Amsterdam |
1970 | Gerd Muller | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
1969 | Gianni Rivera | Italy | A.C. Milan |
1968 | George Best | N.Ireland | Manchester United |
1967 | Florian Albert | Hungary | Ferencvarus |
1966 | Bobby Charlton | England | Manchester United |
1965 | Eusebio | Portugal | Benfica |
1964 | Denis Law | Scotland | Manchester United |
1963 | Lev Yashin | USSR | Dynamo Moscow |
1962 | Josef Masopust | Czechoslovakia | Dukla Prague |
1961 | Omar Sivori | Argentina | Juventus |
1960 | Luis Suarez | Spain | FC Barcelona |
1959 | Alfredo Di Stefano | Argentina | Real Madrid |
1958 | Raymond Kopa | France | Real Madrid |
1957 | Alfredo Di Stefano | Argentina | Real Madrid |
1956 | Stanley Matthews | England | Blackpool |