Ballon_d'or

Ballon d'Or

Ballon d'Or

Annual association football award

For the equivalent award given to the best women's football player, see Ballon d'Or Féminin.

The Ballon d'Or (French pronunciation: [balɔ̃ dɔʁ] ⓘ; lit. 'Golden Ball') is an annual football award presented by French news magazine France Football since 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.

Quick Facts Presented by, First awarded ...

Conceived by sports writers Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran, the Ballon d'Or award was based exclusively on voting by football journalists, from 1956 to 2006. Originally, it was awarded only to players from Europe and was widely known as the European Footballer of the Year award. In 1995, the Ballon d'Or was expanded to include all players of any origin that have been active at European clubs. The award became a global prize in 2007 with all professional footballers from around the world being eligible; additionally, coaches and captains of national teams were also given the right to vote, before reverting to just journalists in 2016.

Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year, and was known as the FIFA Ballon d'Or. That partnership ended in 2016, and the award reverted to the Ballon d'Or, while FIFA also reverted to its own separate annual award, The Best FIFA Men's Player. In 2022, France Football modified the rules for the Ballon d'Or. The timing was changed so that awards were given not for achievements during a calendar year, but for a football season, and it was also determined that only a single journalist from each country in the top 100 of the FIFA Men's World Ranking would be allowed to vote. UEFA is set to co-organize the awards gala—with France Football retaining the voting system and the Ballon d'Or name—starting from the upcoming 2024 edition.

Lionel Messi won the award a record eight times, and he is also the current holder of the Ballon d'Or, having won its most recent edition in 2023. Cristiano Ronaldo has won it five times and amassed a record eighteen nominations in his career. Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten each won the award three times, while Franz Beckenbauer, Ronaldo, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Kevin Keegan and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge have each won it twice.

History

The Ballon d'Or is widely regarded as football's most prestigious and valuable individual award.[1][2][3][4][5] Nevertheless, critics have occasionally described the award as a "popularity contest",[6][7] criticizing its voting process,[8] its bias in favour of attacking players,[9] and the idea of systematically singling out an individual in a team sport.[10][11]

Stanley Matthews of England was the inaugural winner of the Ballon d'Or.[1][12] Prior to 2007, the award was based exclusively on voting by football journalists and was generally known as the continental European Footballer of the Year award in English language and much international media.[13] Even after 2007, it was usually identified with and referred to by that name because of its origin as a European award,[14][15] until it was merged with FIFA's World Player award cementing its new worldwide claim.[16][17] Liberia's George Weah, the only African recipient, became the first non-European to win the award in 1995, the year that rules of eligibility were changed and the Ballon d'Or was expanded to include all players of any origin, active at European clubs;[18][19] two years later, Ronaldo of Brazil became the first South American to claim the award,[18] and he still remains the youngest winner ever at 21 years and 5 months old.[20][21] The award became a global prize in 2007 with all professional footballers from clubs around the world being eligible;[22] additionally, coaches and captains of national teams were also given the right to vote,[13] before reverting to just journalists in 2016.[8]

Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or a record eight times,[5] while five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo has earned the most nominations with eighteen.[23] Messi is the only player to win the award with three different teams and also the only one to win it while playing outside Europe,[24] as well as being the player with the most podiums, finishing in the top-three a record fourteen times.[5] Three players have won the award three times each: Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten.[1][23] With seven awards each, Dutch, German, Portuguese and French players have won the second most Ballons d'Or, underneath Argentina in first with eight.[19] Players from Germany (1972, 1981) and the Netherlands (1988) occupied the top-three spots in a single year. German (1972) and Italian (1988–1990) clubs achieved the same feat, including two individual years dominated by AC Milan players (1988, 1989), a unique record until Spanish clubs experienced an unprecedented dominance (2009–2012, 2015, 2016) and Barcelona (2010) became the second club to occupy the top-three. The award shows a bias in favour of attacking players,[9] and, over time, it has gone to a more exclusive set of leagues and clubs.[13] Prior to 1995, ten leagues supplied Ballon d'Or winners, whereas only England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United States have supplied winners since then.[13] Spain's La Liga has the most Ballon d'Or winners overall, with twenty-four wins shared between Barcelona and Real Madrid; with twelve wins each, the two Spanish clubs also lead the overall club ranking for producing the most winners.[13][25]

Between 2010 and 2015 inclusive, the award was merged with a similar one, the FIFA World Player of the Year award, to create the FIFA Ballon d'Or, which was awarded to the world's best male player before FIFA and France Football decided not to continue the merging agreement.[3][26] The recipients of the joint FIFA Ballon d'Or are considered as winners by both award organizations.[13][27][28] After 2011, UEFA created the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award to maintain the tradition of the original Ballon d'Or of specifically honouring a football player from Europe.[29] In 2020, Groupe Amaury, to which France Football belongs,[30] decided that no award would be given for the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic cutting short the seasons of football clubs worldwide.[2][23] The widespread public opinion is that the 2020 award should have been given to Robert Lewandowski.[31][32][33]

France Football modified the rules for the Ballon d'Or in 2022. They changed the timing so that awards were given not for achievements during a calendar year, but for a football season.[34] It was also decided that only a single journalist from each country in the top 100 of the FIFA Men's World Ranking would be allowed to vote.[8] The plebiscite had previously been open to all countries since 2007. This brought the Ballon d'Or into line with the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award which was slightly less dominated by exclusive leagues and, in particular, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the 2010s.[34] Beginning in 2024, UEFA is set to co-organize the Ballon d'Or with France Football, with the magazine retaining the voting system and the Ballon d'Or name and UEFA organizing the awards gala.[30]

Winners

Lionel Messi has won the most Ballons d'Or in history, with eight wins in three different decades. He is also the record holder for most consecutive wins, with four between 2009 and 2012.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been nominated for the Ballon d'Or a record eighteen times, and is a five-time winner.
Lev Yashin is the only goalkeeper to win the award.
Johan Cruyff was the first player to win the award three times.
Franz Beckenbauer is the only defender to win the award twice.
George Weah was the first non-European and first African national team player to win the award.
Zinedine Zidane won the award in 1998.
Two-time winner Ronaldo is the youngest player to ever win the award.

Note: Until 2021, the Ballon d'Or was awarded based on player performance during the calendar year. Since 2022, jurors have been instructed to take into account the previous season.[35]

More information Year, Rank ...
Notes
  1. [N 1]
    Born in Argentina, Di Stéfano acquired Spanish citizenship in 1956 and went on to play for the Spain national football team, thus becoming eligible for the award.
  2. [N 2]
    Kopa was signed by Real Madrid from Reims midway through 1956.
  3. [N 3]
    Kopa was signed by Reims from Real Madrid midway through 1959.
  4. [N 4]
    Born in Argentina, Sívori acquired Italian citizenship in 1961 and went on to play for the Italy national football team, thus becoming eligible for the award.
  5. [N 5]
    Luis Suárez was signed by Inter Milan from Barcelona midway through 1961.
  6. [N 6]
    Cruyff was signed by Barcelona from Ajax midway through 1973.
  7. [N 7]
    Keegan was signed by Hamburger SV from Liverpool midway through 1977.
  8. [N 8]
    Krankl was signed by Barcelona from Rapid Wien midway through 1978.
  9. [N 9]
    Schuster was signed by Barcelona from 1. FC Köln midway through 1980.
  10. [N 10]
    Boniek was signed by Juventus from Widzew Łódź midway through 1982.
  11. [N 11]
    Simonsen was signed by Vejle from Charlton Athletic midway through 1983.
  12. [N 12]
    Elkjær was signed by Hellas Verona from Lokeren midway through 1984.
  13. [N 13]
    Lineker was signed by Barcelona from Everton midway through 1986.
  14. [N 14]
    Gullit was signed by AC Milan from PSV Eindhoven midway through 1987.
  15. [N 15]
    Futre was signed by Atlético Madrid from Porto midway through 1987.
  16. [N 16]
    Rijkaard was signed by AC Milan from Zaragoza midway through 1988.
  17. [N 17]
    Bergkamp was signed by Inter Milan from Ajax midway through 1993.
  18. [N 18]
    Weah was signed by AC Milan from Paris Saint-Germain midway through 1995.
  19. [N 19]
    Klinsmann was signed by Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur midway through 1995.
  20. [N 20]
    Ronaldo was signed by Barcelona from PSV Eindhoven midway through 1996.
  21. [N 21]
    Shearer was signed by Newcastle United from Blackburn Rovers midway through 1996.
  22. [N 22]
    Ronaldo was signed by Inter Milan from Barcelona midway through 1997.
  23. [N 23]
    Shevchenko was signed by AC Milan from Dynamo Kyiv midway through 1999.
  24. [N 24]
    Figo was signed by Real Madrid from Barcelona midway through 2000.
  25. [N 25]
    Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid from Inter Milan midway through 2002.
  26. [N 26]
    Deco was signed by Barcelona from Porto midway through 2004.
  27. [N 27]
    Cannavaro was signed by Real Madrid from Juventus midway through 2006.
  28. [N 28]
    Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid from Manchester United midway through 2009.
  29. [N 29]
    Neymar was signed by Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona midway through 2017.
  30. [N 30]
    Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by Juventus from Real Madrid midway through 2018.
  31. [N 31]
    Messi was signed by Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona midway through 2021.
  32. [N 32]
    Mané was signed by Bayern Munich from Liverpool midway through 2022.
  33. [N 33]
    Messi was signed by Inter Miami from Paris Saint-Germain midway through 2023.

Wins by player

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi won ten consecutive Ballon d'Or trophies between them from 2008 to 2017.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge won the award back-to-back in 1980 and 1981.
Michel Platini won the award three years running from 1983 to 1985.
More information Player, Winner ...
Notes
  1. [N 1]
    Messi won the FIFA Ballon d'Or four times (2010, 2011, 2012, 2015) and finished in second place two times (2013, 2014).[37][38]
  2. [N 2]
    Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA Ballon d'Or two times (2013, 2014) and finished in second place three times (2011, 2012, 2015).[37][38]

Wins by country

Three Ukrainian players have won the Ballon d'Or: Andriy Shevchenko, Oleg Blokhin, and Igor Belanov.
More information Country, Players ...

Wins by club

Marco van Basten (left) and Ruud Gullit, teammates for AC Milan and the Netherlands, won in consecutive years from 1987 to 1989.
More information Club, Players ...

Additional awards

Seasonal awards

Ballon d'Or Féminin

Main article: Ballon d'Or Féminin
Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d'Or Féminin a record two times.

First awarded in 2018, the Ballon d'Or Féminin honours the female player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.[23][39]

Kopa Trophy

Main article: Kopa Trophy

Since 2018 France Football has given out the Kopa Trophy to the best performing player under the age of 21. The award is named after 1958 Ballon d'Or winner Raymond Kopa.[40]

Yashin Trophy

Main article: Yashin Trophy

First awarded in 2019, the Yashin Trophy is presented to the best goalkeeper of the year. The award was named after Soviet goalkeeper and 1963 Ballon d'Or winner Lev Yashin.[41]

Gerd Müller Trophy

Main article: Gerd Müller Trophy
Robert Lewandowski won the Gerd Müller Trophy back-to-back in 2021 and 2022.

In 2021, France Football awarded Robert Lewandowski with a Striker of the Year award for scoring the most goals the previous season.[42] Following Gerd Müller's death in 2021, the award was renamed for the 2022 edition to the Gerd Müller Trophy.[43]

Sócrates Award

In 2022, France Football gave out the first edition of the Sócrates Award to Sadio Mané for his humanitarian efforts in Senegal.[44] In 2023, the winner was Vinícius Júnior, for his humanitarian work in Brazil.[45] The award was named after late Brazilian footballer Sócrates.

Men's Club of the Year

France Football first gave out the Men's Club of the Year award in 2021, with the inaugural winner being Chelsea.[46][47] Manchester City won back-to-back in 2022 and 2023.[48]

Women's Club of the Year

France Football first gave out the Women's Club of the Year award in 2023, with the inaugural winner being FC Barcelona Femení.[49]

Men's Coach of the Year

France Football is set to give out the Men's Coach of the Year award starting in 2024.[30]

Women's Coach of the Year

France Football is set to give out the Women's Coach of the Year award starting in 2024.[30]

Special awards

Pelé was voted Football Player of the Century in 1999. He was also the recipient of the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur in 2013, and in 2020 he was selected to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team.
Diego Maradona was honoured with the Golden Ballon d'Or in 1995 and he was also selected to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team.

Super Ballon d'Or

Main article: Super Ballon d'Or
Two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alfredo Di Stéfano was awarded the Super Ballon d'Or in 1989.

An honorary award, under the name Super Ballon d'Or, was awarded to Alfredo Di Stéfano in 1989,[8] who was voted the best multiple-time Ballon d'Or winner ahead of Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini.[50][51]

In addition Diego Maradona received an honorary Ballon d'Or in 1995 for his services to football dubbed the Golden Ballon d'Or.[8][50][52] Pelé also received a similar award during the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony dubbed the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur.[8][53]

Football Player of the Century

In 1999, France Football voted Pelé as the Football Player of the Century after consulting their former Ballon d'Or recipients.[8] Among the 34 previous winners, 30 cast their votes, while Stanley Matthews, Omar Sívori and George Best refused to vote, and Lev Yashin had died. Each voter was allotted five votes worth up to five points; however, Di Stéfano only chose a first place, Platini a first and second place, and George Weah two players for fifth place. Pelé was named the greatest by 17 voters, receiving almost double the number of points earned by the second place, Diego Maradona.[54]

More information Player, Pts ...

Le nouveau palmarès

To coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Ballon d'Or in 2016, France Football published a reevaluation of the awards presented before 1995, when only European players were eligible to win the award.[8] 12 out of the 39 Ballons d'Or presented during this time period would have been awarded to South American players; in addition to Pelé and Diego Maradona, Garrincha, Mario Kempes, and Romário were retrospectively recognized as worthy winners.[55] The original recipients, however, remain unchanged.[4]

More information Year, Original winner ...

Ballon d'Or Dream Team

Main article: Ballon d'Or Dream Team
Paolo Maldini was one of the defenders named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team.

An all-time all-star team, the Ballon d'Or Dream Team, was published in December 2020 by France Football, honouring football's greatest players of all time.[56][57] A second and a third team were also published.[58]

More information Goalkeepers, Defenders ...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ballon d'Or.

References

  1. [1]
    "History of the Ballon d'Or: All the winners". UEFA. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 14 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  2. [2]
    "Coronavirus: Ballon d'Or cancelled for first time in award's history". ESPN. 20 July 2020. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  3. [3]
    Reidy, Paul (24 February 2023). "Ballon d'Or, FIFA The Best awards: what's the difference between them?". Diario AS. ISSN 1888-6671. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  4. [4]
    McVitie, Peter (31 October 2023). "Who has won the most Ballons d'Or?". Goal. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  5. [5]
    Pretot, Julien; Rohith, Nair (1 November 2023). "Messi wins record eighth Ballon d'Or for best player in the world". Reuters. ISSN 2293-6343. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  6. [6]
    Thomas, Joshua (31 October 2023). "Mourinho's Ballon d'Or belief proven right as Messi edges out Haaland in 'popularity contest'". Optus Sport. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  7. [7]
    "Lahm criticises Ballon d'Or process". Marca. 14 January 2016. ISSN 2340-0595. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  8. [8]
    Miller, Nick (30 October 2023). "Ballon d'Or 2023 explained: Messi favourite, Ronaldo's dashed 'dream' and how it works". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  9. [9]
    Verschueren, Gianni (19 January 2015). "Cristiano Ronaldo Ballon D'Or Win Labelled 'Absurd' by Johan Cruyff". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  10. [10]
    Doyle, Paul (1 December 2008). "Why the Ballon d'Or is stupid and quite possibly evil". The Guardian. ISSN 1756-3224. Archived from the original on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  11. [11]
    Tiluk, Daniel (12 January 2016). "Weekly Why: FIFA's Ballon d'Or and the Absurdity of Glorifying Individual Awards". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  12. [12]
    "Matthews wins first Golden Ball". BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  13. [13]
    Straeten, Karine van der; Laslier, Jean-François; Daoust, Jean-François; Blais, André; Arrondel, Luc; Anderson, Christopher J. (2020). "Messi, Ronaldo, and the Politics of Celebrity Elections: Voting for the Best Soccer Player in the World". Perspectives on Politics. 18: 91–110. doi:10.1017/S1537592719002391. ISSN 1537-5927.
  14. [14]
    "Kaka named European Footballer of the Year". World Soccer. 2 December 2007. ISSN 0043-9037. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  15. [15]
    Ogden, Mark (2 December 2008). "Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo wants 'to get better' after winning European award". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  16. [16]
    "Kaka named world's best player". The Guardian. 17 December 2007. ISSN 1756-3224. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  17. [17]
    "FIFA World Player Gala 2008". FIFA. 12 January 2009. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  18. [18]
    "The 1990s Ballon d'Or winners". BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  19. [19]
    Mendola, Nicholas (31 October 2023). "World Cup winner Lionel Messi wins 8th Ballon d'Or". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  20. [20]
    "Ronaldo joins legendary list". BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  21. [21]
    GiveMeSport (19 October 2022). "Who is the youngest ever Ballon d'Or winner?". OneFootball. Archived from the original on 11 April 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  22. [22]
    "Kaka wins 2007 award". BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  23. [23]
    Mikkelsen, Sebastian (30 October 2023). "All Ballon d'Or winners – Complete list". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024. Messi currently holds the record for most Ballon d'Ors with eight (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023), while five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo has the most nominations with 18.
  24. [24]
    Cardenas, Felipe (31 October 2023). "Why Inter Miami's Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or and what it means for MLS". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  25. [25]
    "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or")". RSSSF. 9 October 2008. Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  26. [26]
    "The FIFA Ballon d'Or is born". FIFA. 5 July 2010. Archived from the original on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  27. [27]
    "Ballon d'Or 2023 : Lionel Messi sacré pour la huitième fois" [Ballon d'Or 2023: Lionel Messi crowned for the eighth time]. L'Equipe (in French). 30 October 2023. ISSN 0153-1069. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  28. [28]
    "Lionel Messi wins The Best FIFA Men's Player Award". FIFA. 15 January 2024. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024. Lionel Messi has been crowned The Best FIFA Men's Player 2023, retaining the title he won in 2022 [...] Messi also won the 2019 Best FIFA Men's Player award and was recognised by FIFA as the leading player in the men's game on five occasions prior to that – 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015 – making this his eighth individual award in total.
  29. [29]
    "How the award came about". UEFA. 9 August 2011. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  30. [30]
    "UEFA partners with Groupe Amaury to co-organise the Ballon d'Or". UEFA. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  31. [31]
    Andrews, Connor (1 December 2021). "Robert Lewandowski was cruelly robbed of 2020 Ballon d'Or and striker's 2021 stats are far better than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who praised him". Talksport. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  32. [32]
    "Lewandowski could still receive 2020 Ballon d'Or: France Football should think about it". Marca. 1 December 2021. ISSN 2340-0595. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  33. [33]
    "PSG's Lionel Messi: Robert Lewandowski deserved to win 2020 Ballon d'Or award". ESPN. 30 November 2021. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  34. [34]
    Ferré, Pascal (11 March 2022). "Ballon d'Or : Quatre changements pour l'histoire" [Ballon d'Or: four changes for history]. L'Equipe (in French). ISSN 0153-1069. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  35. [35]
    Reidy, Paul (17 October 2022). "Ballon d'Or, FIFA The Best awards: what's the difference between them?". Diario AS. ISSN 1888-6671. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  36. [36]
    "Palmarès du Ballon d'Or" [Ballon d'Or winners]. L'Equipe (in French). 31 October 2023. ISSN 0153-1069. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  37. [37]
    "La liste complête des lauréats du Ballon d'or, de 1956 à nos jours" [The complete list of Ballon d'Or winners, from 1956 to the present]. France Football (in French). ISSN 0015-9557. Archived from the original on 6 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  38. [38]
    "FIFA Awards – World Player of the Year". RSSSF. 12 February 2015. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  39. [39]
    Shapiro, Michael (7 June 2019). "Why Ballon d'Or Winner Ada Hegerberg Isn't Playing in the Women's World Cup". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  40. [40]
    "Kylian Mbappé est le vainqueur du premier Trophée Kopa" [Kylian Mbappé is the winner of the first Kopa Trophy]. France Football (in French). 3 December 2018. ISSN 0015-9557. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  41. [41]
    Sainz, Manu (2 December 2019). "Ballon d'Or 2019: Yachine Trophy: the candidates for the award". Diario AS. ISSN 1888-6671. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  42. [42]
    Netherton, Alexander (29 November 2021). "Ballon d'Or 2021 – Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski wins Goalscorer of the Year award". Eurosport. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  43. [43]
    Murray, Scott (29 November 2021). "Alexia Putellas and Lionel Messi win 2021 Ballon d'Or – as it happened". The Guardian. ISSN 1756-3224. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  44. [44]
    Oludare, Shina (17 October 2022). "Mane at Ballon d'Or event: Bayern Munich star claims Socrates Award for charity work". Goal. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  45. [45]
    Summerscales, Robert (30 October 2023). "Vinicius Junior Wins Socrates Award Before Delivering Anti-Racism Speech At Ballon d'Or Ceremony". Sports Illustrated. ISSN 0038-822X. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  46. [46]
    "Chelsea sacré club de l'année" [Chelsea crowned club of the year]. L'Équipe (in French). ISSN 0153-1069. Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  47. [47]
    "Ballon d'Or 2022: Benzema wins, awards, winners and latest updates from the ceremony". Diario AS. 17 October 2022. ISSN 1888-6671. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  48. [48]
    "Ballon d'Or 2023 : Manchester City de nouveau sacré club de l'année" [Ballon d'Or 2023: Manchester City crowned club of the year again]. L'Equipe (in French). 30 October 2023. ISSN 0153-1069. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  49. [49]
    "Ballon d'Or 2023 : le Barça sacré club féminin de l'année" [Ballon d'Or 2023: Barça crowned women's club of the year]. L'Équipe (in French). 30 October 2023. ISSN 0153-1069. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  50. [50]
    Lawless, Josh (21 December 2022). "The Super Ballon d'Or, the most prestigious and rare award only ONE player has ever won". SPORTbible. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  51. [51]
    Feargal, Brennan (30 October 2023). "What is the Super Ballon d'Or? Special football award explained, why Lionel Messi might become second winner". The Sporting News. ISSN 1041-2859. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  52. [52]
    "Combien de Ballon(s) d'Or France Football aurait pu remporter Diego Maradona ?" [How many France Football Ballon d'Ors could have Diego Maradona won?]. France Football (in French). 29 October 2020. ISSN 0015-9557. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  53. [53]
    "Pele receives FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur". FIFA. 13 January 2014. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  54. [54]
    Stokkermans, Karel (23 December 2015). "France Football's Football Player of the Century". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  55. [55]
    Marchand, Thierry (December 2015). "On a refait le palmarès" [We redid the list]. France Football (in French). ISSN 0015-9557. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  56. [56]
    Crépin, Timothé (14 December 2020). "Ballon d'Or Dream Team: Découvrez les révélations de ce onze de légende !" [Ballon d'Or Dream Team: Discover the revelations of this legendary eleven!]. France Football (in French). ISSN 0015-9557. Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  57. [57]
    "Ballon d'Or Dream Team: Xavi alongside Messi and Cristiano". Marca. 14 December 2020. ISSN 2340-0595. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  58. [58]
    "The other two Ballon d'Or Dream Team XIs: Zidane, Cruyff, Iniesta, Di Stefano... but no Casillas". Marca. 14 December 2020. ISSN 2340-0595. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Ballon_d'or, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.