Ballon d'Or 2026: A Look Back at Football's Most Historic Victories from Matthews to Messi

The anticipation is building for Monday night's glittering ceremony in London, where the 2026 Ballon d'Or winner will be revealed. This marks the 70th edition of the prestigious award and, notably, the first time it will be held outside of France. The move to England serves as a tribute to Sir Stanley Matthews, the recipient of the very first Ballon d'Or in 1956. Ahead of the announcement, we delve into five of the most historically significant Ballon d'Or victories and present a complete list of all winners since the award's inception.

Honourable mentions are due to Lev Yashin, the sole goalkeeper to have claimed the award, and Cristiano Ronaldo, whose five wins place him second only to Lionel Messi's remarkable eight.

Five Historic Ballon d'Or Victories:

1. Stanley Matthews (1956)
   Matthews etched his name in history as the inaugural winner, remarkably at the age of 41. His triumph solidified the Ballon d'Or's standing in the sport and underscored the immense respect he commanded across Europe. At 41 years, 10 months, and 17 days, he remains the oldest recipient of the award.
2. George Weah (1995)
   Weah broke new ground by becoming the first African player to win the Ballon d'Or following a rule change that permitted non-European players representing European clubs to be eligible. He stands as the only African winner of the men's award to date, making his achievement a landmark moment for African football.
3. Ronaldo Nazario (1997)
   At just 21 years old, Ronaldo Nazario set a record as the youngest winner of the award, a distinction he still holds. His electrifying performances for Barcelona and Inter Milan propelled him to global superstardom and cemented his legacy as one of the greatest strikers of all time.
4. Fabio Cannavaro (2006)
   Cannavaro's victory was largely attributed to his inspirational captaincy of Italy during their triumphant 2006 World Cup campaign. He had also secured a Serie A title with Juventus, though the club was later stripped of it due to the Calciopoli scandal. Significantly, Cannavaro remains the last defender to win the award, two decades ago. Only three defenders have ever received this honour: Franz Beckenbauer, Matthias Sammer, and Cannavaro himself.
5. Lionel Messi (2009)
   Messi secured the first of his record eight Ballon d'Or awards in 2009, with his most recent win occurring 14 years later in 2023. During the 2008/09 season, he was instrumental in Barcelona's treble-winning campaign under Pep Guardiola, scoring 38 goals and providing 19 assists. This period also marked the beginning of a record four consecutive Ballon d'Or wins for Messi.

Every Ballon d'Or Winner:

• 1956: Stanley Matthews (Blackpool/England)
• 1957: Alfredo Di Stefano (Real Madrid/Spain)
• 1958: Raymond Kopa (Real Madrid/France)
• 1959: Alfredo Di Stefano (Real Madrid/Spain)
• 1960: Luis Suarez (Barcelona/Spain)
• 1961: Omar Sivori (Juventus/Italy)
• 1962: Josef Masopust (Dukla Prague/Czechoslovakia)
• 1963: Lev Yashin (Dynamo Moscow/Soviet Union)
• 1964: Denis Law (Manchester United/Scotland)
• 1965: Eusebio (Benfica/Portugal)
• 1966: Bobby Charlton (Manchester United/England)
• 1967: Florian Albert (Ferencváros/Hungary)
• 1968: George Best (Manchester United/Northern Ireland)
• 1969: Gianni Rivera (AC Milan/Italy)
• 1970: Gerd Muller (Bayern Munich/West Germany)
• 1971: Johan Cruyff (Ajax/Netherlands)
• 1972: Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Munich/West Germany)
• 1973: Johan Cruyff (Barcelona/Netherlands)
• 1974: Johan Cruyff (Barcelona/Netherlands)
• 1975: Oleg Blokhin (Dynamo Kyiv/Soviet Union)
• 1976: Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Munich/West Germany)
• 1977: Allan Simonsen (Borussia Mönchengladbach/Denmark)
• 1978: Kevin Keegan (Hamburg/England)
• 1979: Kevin Keegan (Hamburg/England)
• 1980: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich/West Germany)
• 1981: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich/West Germany)
• 1982: Paolo Rossi (Juventus/Italy)
• 1983: Michel Platini (Juventus/France)
• 1984: Michel Platini (Juventus/France)
• 1985: Michel Platini (Juventus/France)
• 1986: Igor Belanov (Dynamo Kyiv/Soviet Union)
• 1987: Ruud Gullit (AC Milan/Netherlands)
• 1988: Marco van Basten (AC Milan/Netherlands)
• 1989: Marco van Basten (AC Milan/Netherlands)
• 1990: Lothar Matthaus (Inter Milan/West Germany)
• 1991: Jean-Pierre Papin (Marseille/France)
• 1992: Marco van Basten (AC Milan/Netherlands)
• 1993: Roberto Baggio (Juventus/Italy)
• 1994: Hristo Stoichkov (Barcelona/Bulgaria)
• 1995: George Weah (AC Milan/Liberia)
• 1996: Matthias Sammer (Borussia Dortmund/Germany)
• 1997: Ronaldo (Inter Milan/Brazil)
• 1998: Zinedine Zidane (Juventus/France)
• 1999: Rivaldo (Barcelona/Brazil)
• 2000: Luis Figo (Real Madrid/Portugal)
• 2001: Michael Owen (Liverpool/England)
• 2002: Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Brazil)
• 2003: Pavel Nedved (Juventus/Czech Republic)
• 2004: Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan/Ukraine)
• 2005: Ronaldinho (Barcelona/Brazil)
• 2006: Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid/Italy)
• 2007: Kaka (AC Milan/Brazil)
• 2008: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United/Portugal)
• 2009: Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
• 2010: Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
• 2011: Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
• 2012: Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
• 2013: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal)
• 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal)
• 2015: Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
• 2016: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal)
• 2017: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal)
• 2018: Luka Modric (Real Madrid/Croatia)
• 2019: Lionel Messi (Barcelona/Argentina)
• 2020: Not awarded (Covid-19 pandemic)
• 2021: Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain/Argentina)
• 2022: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/France)
• 2023: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami/Argentina)
• 2024: Rodri (Manchester City/Spain)
• 2025: Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain/France)