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![The 2026 Ballon d'Or's 30-player shortlist features three former winners: eight-time winner and Argentinian icon Messi, holder Ousmane Dembele of France, and 2024 winner and Spanish midfielder Rodri. [Benoit Tessier/Reuters]](https://sportal365images.com/process/smp-images-production/pulse.com.gh/26102026/767408d5-0dcc-4d4d-9c8b-3fecff0357e1.webp?operations=autocrop(700:467)&format=webp)
The 2026 Ballon d'Or's 30-player shortlist features three former winners: eight-time winner and Argentinian icon Messi, holder Ousmane Dembele of France, and 2024 winner and Spanish midfielder Rodri. [Benoit Tessier/Reuters]
Year | Winner | Country |
|---|---|---|
1956 | Stanley Matthews | England |
1957 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain |
1958 | Raymond Kopa | France |
1959 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain |
1960 | Luis Suárez | Spain |
1961 | Omar Sívori | Italy |
1962 | Josef Masopust | Czechoslovakia |
1963 | Lev Yashin | Soviet Union |
1964 | Denis Law | Scotland |
1965 | Eusébio | Portugal |
1966 | Bobby Charlton | England |
1967 | Flórián Albert | Hungary |
1968 | George Best | Northern Ireland |
1969 | Gianni Rivera | Italy |
1970 | Gerd Müller | West Germany |
1971 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands |
1972 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany |
1973 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands |
1974 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands |
1975 | Oleh Blokhin | Soviet Union |
1976 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany |
1977 | Allan Simonsen | Denmark |
1978 | Kevin Keegan | England |
1979 | Kevin Keegan | England |
1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany |
1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany |
1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italy |
1983 | Michel Platini | France |
1984 | Michel Platini | France |
1985 | Michel Platini | France |
1986 | Ihor Belanov | Soviet Union |
1987 | Ruud Gullit | Netherlands |
1988 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands |
1989 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands |
1990 | Lothar Matthäus | Germany |
1991 | Jean-Pierre Papin | France |
1992 | Marco van Basten | Netherlands |
1993 | Roberto Baggio | Italy |
1994 | Hristo Stoichkov | Bulgaria |
1995 | George Weah | Liberia |
1996 | Matthias Sammer | Germany |
1997 | Ronaldo Nazário | Brazil |
1998 | Zinedine Zidane | France |
1999 | Rivaldo | Brazil |
2000 | Luís Figo | Portugal |
2001 | Michael Owen | England |
2002 | Ronaldo Nazário | Brazil |
2003 | Pavel Nedvěd | Czech Republic |
2004 | Andriy Shevchenko | Ukraine |
2005 | Ronaldinho | Brazil |
2006 | Fabio Cannavaro | Italy |
2007 | Kaká | Brazil |
2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal |
2009 | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
2010 | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
2011 | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
2012 | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal |
2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal |
2015 | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal |
2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal |
2018 | Luka Modrić | Croatia |
2019 | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
2020 | No award presented | — |
2021 | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
2022 | Karim Benzema | France |
2023 | Lionel Messi | Argentina |
2024 | Rodri | Spain |
2025 | Ousmane Dembélé | France |
2026 | Harry Kane | England |
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