The most coveted individual prize in world soccer—and perhaps in world sport as a whole—is the Ballon d’Or.
First awarded in 1956, the Ballon d'Or award is given to the sport's top player, voted by a panel of soccer journalists representing the top 100 countries in the FIFA Men's rankings and the top 50 countries in the FIFA Women’s rankings.
Previous winners span from Alfredo Di Stéfano and Johan Cruyff to Marco van Basten and Zinedine Zidane, but arguably soccer’s two greatest players of all time, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, are the standard bearers when it comes to multiple wins. Much in part to their success, Barcelona and Real Madrid are the two clubs with the most men's Ballon d'Or wins (12) in history.
On the women’s side, Barcelona are the dominant force since the award’s inception in 2018—they provided the winner for four straight years between 2021 and 2024.
Here’s a full rundown of the award’s history.
Ballon d'Or WinnersWho Has Won the Most Ballon d’Or Awards?Ballon d’Or Feminin WinnersWho Has Won the Most Ballons d’Or Feminin?
