Award
| Ballon d'Or | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ballon d'Or trophy | ||||
| Presented by | France Football | |||
| First awarded | 18 December 1956; 68 years ago (1956-12-18) | |||
| Currently held by |  Rodri(1st win) | |||
| Most awards |  Lionel Messi(8 awards) | |||
| Most nominations |  Cristiano Ronaldo(18 nominations) | |||
| Website | francefootball.fr | |||
| Related | Additional awards | |||
| ||||
The Ballon d'Or (French pronunciation: [balɔ̃ dɔʁ] ; lit. 'Golden Ball') is an annual football award presented by French magazine France Football since 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.
Conceived by sports writers Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran, the Ballon d'Or was based exclusively on voting by football journalists up until 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 an international jury of specialized journalists, with one representative per country, from the top 100 in the latest FIFA Men's World Ranking would elect the winner of the award. UEFA co-organizes the Ballon d'Or gala since 2024, with France Football retaining the voting system and the Ballon d'Or name.
Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or a record eight times, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five. Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten each won the award three times, while Alfredo Di Stéfano, Franz Beckenbauer, Kevin Keegan, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Ronaldo have each won it twice. Rodri is the current holder of the award, having won its most recent edition in 2024.
Overview
The Ballon d'Or is widely regarded as football's most prestigious and valuable individual award. Prior to 2007, it 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. Even after 2007, it was usually identified with and referred to by that name because of its origin as a European award, until it was merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year award cementing its new worldwide claim. Stanley Matthews of England was the inaugural winner of the award. 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; two years later, Ronaldo of Brazil became the first South American to claim the award, and he is still the youngest winner ever at 21 years and 96 days old. The award became a global prize in 2007 with all professional footballers from clubs 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.
Lionel Messi holds the record for most Ballon d'Or wins with eight, while five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo earned the most nominations with eighteen. 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, as well as being the player with the most podiums, finishing in the top-three a record fourteen times. Three players have won the award three times each: Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten. With seven awards each, Dutch, German, Portuguese and French players have won the second most Ballons d'Or, underneath Argentina in first with eight. 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 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, and, over time, it has gone to a more exclusive set of leagues and clubs. 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. 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.
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. The recipients of the joint FIFA Ballon d'Or are considered as winners by both award organizations. 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. In 2020, Groupe Amaury, to which France Football belongs, decided that no award would be given for the year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on association football. The widespread public opinion is that the 2020 Ballon d'Or should have been awarded to Robert Lewandowski.
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. It was also decided that an international jury of specialized journalists, with one representative per country, from the top 100 in the latest FIFA Men's World Ranking would determine the winner of the award; the plebiscite had previously been open to all countries since 2007. UEFA co-organizes the Ballon d'Or gala since 2024, with France Football retaining the voting system and the Ballon d'Or name.
Criteria
The Ballon d'Or is awarded based on three main criteria:
- 1) Individual performances, decisive and impressive character;
- 2) Team performances and achievements;
- 3) Class and fair play.
Nevertheless, critics have occasionally described the award as a "popularity contest", criticizing its voting process, its bias in favour of attacking players, and the idea of systematically singling out an individual in a team sport.
Winners
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
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.
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player had won the award at that time (for players with multiple wins) |
- Notes
- Born in Argentina, Di Stéfano acquired Spanish citizenship in 1956, thus becoming eligible for the award.
- Kopa was signed by Real Madrid from Reims during 1956.
- Kopa was signed by Reims from Real Madrid during 1959.
- Born in Argentina, Sívori acquired Italian citizenship in 1961, thus becoming eligible for the award.
- Suárez was signed by Inter Milan from Barcelona during 1961.
- Cruyff was signed by Barcelona from Ajax during 1973.
- Keegan was signed by Hamburger SV from Liverpool during 1977.
- Krankl was signed by Barcelona from Rapid Wien during 1978.
- Schuster was signed by Barcelona from 1. FC Köln during 1980.
- Boniek was signed by Juventus from Widzew Łódź during 1982.
- Simonsen was signed by Vejle from Charlton Athletic during 1983.
- Elkjær was signed by Hellas Verona from Lokeren during 1984.
- Lineker was signed by Barcelona from Everton during 1986.
- Gullit was signed by AC Milan from PSV Eindhoven during 1987.
- Futre was signed by Atlético Madrid from Porto during 1987.
- Rijkaard was signed by AC Milan from Zaragoza during 1988.
- Bergkamp was signed by Inter Milan from Ajax during 1993.
- Weah was signed by AC Milan from Paris Saint-Germain during 1995.
- Klinsmann was signed by Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur during 1995.
- Ronaldo was signed by Barcelona from PSV Eindhoven during 1996.
- Shearer was signed by Newcastle United from Blackburn Rovers during 1996.
- Ronaldo was signed by Inter Milan from Barcelona during 1997.
- Shevchenko was signed by AC Milan from Dynamo Kyiv during 1999.
- Figo was signed by Real Madrid from Barcelona during 2000.
- Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid from Inter Milan during 2002.
- Deco was signed by Barcelona from Porto during 2004.
- Cannavaro was signed by Real Madrid from Juventus during 2006.
- Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid from Manchester United during 2009.
- Neymar was signed by Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona during 2017.
- Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by Juventus from Real Madrid during 2018.
- Messi was signed by Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona during 2021.
- Mané was signed by Bayern Munich from Liverpool during 2022.
- Messi was signed by Inter Miami from Paris Saint-Germain during 2023.
Wins by player
Wins by country
| Country | Players | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina
|
1 | 8 |
 France
|
5 | 7 |
 Germany
|
5 | 7 |
 Netherlands
|
3 | 7 |
| Portugal
|
3 | 7 |
 Italy
|
5 | 5 |
 Brazil
|
4 | 5 |
 England
|
4 | 5 |
| Spain
|
3 | 4 |
 Soviet Union
|
3 | 3 |
 Bulgaria
|
1 | 1 |
 Croatia
|
1 | 1 |
 Czech Republic
|
1 | 1 |
| Czechoslovakia
|
1 | 1 |
 Denmark
|
1 | 1 |
 Hungary
|
1 | 1 |
 Liberia
|
1 | 1 |
 Northern Ireland
|
1 | 1 |
 Scotland
|
1 | 1 |
 Ukraine
|
1 | 1 |
Wins by club
.jpg)
| Club | Players | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Real Madrid
|
8 | 12 |
| Barcelona
|
6 | 12 |
| Juventus
|
6 | 8 |
| Milan
|
6 | 8 |
| Bayern Munich
|
3 | 5 |
| Manchester United
|
4 | 4 |
| Dynamo Kyiv
|
2 | 2 |
| Inter Milan
|
2 | 2 |
| Hamburger SV
|
1 | 2 |
| Ajax
|
1 | 1 |
| Benfica
|
1 | 1 |
| Blackpool
|
1 | 1 |
| Borussia Dortmund
|
1 | 1 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach
|
1 | 1 |
| Dukla Prague
|
1 | 1 |
 Dynamo Moscow
|
1 | 1 |
| Ferencváros
|
1 | 1 |
 Inter Miami
|
1 | 1 |
| Liverpool
|
1 | 1 |
| Manchester City
|
1 | 1 |
| Marseille
|
1 | 1 |
| Paris Saint-Germain
|
1 | 1 |
Additional awards
Seasonal awards
.jpg)
_(cropped).jpg)
Emiliano Martínez—two times winner of the Yashin Trophy—and Robert Lewandowski—two times winner of the Gerd Müller Trophy.
- First awarded in 2018, the Ballon d'Or Féminin honours the female player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season.
- 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.
- First awarded in 2019, the Yashin Trophy is presented to the best goalkeeper of the season. The award is named after Soviet goalkeeper and 1963 Ballon d'Or winner Lev Yashin.
- In 2021, France Football gave Robert Lewandowski a Striker of the Year award for scoring the most goals the previous season. Following Gerd Müller's death in 2021, the award was renamed for the 2022 edition to the Gerd Müller Trophy.
- Starting from 2022, France Football has given out the Sócrates Award, which acknowledges footballers for their humanitarian work. The award is named after late Brazilian footballer Sócrates, who co-founded the Corinthians Democracy movement, in opposition to the ruling military dictatorship in Brazil during the 1980s.
- France Football first gave out the Men's Club of the Year award in 2021, with the inaugural winner being Chelsea. Manchester City won back-to-back in 2022 and 2023, while Real Madrid won the most recent edition in 2024. The Women's Club of the Year was awarded in 2023 and 2024, and FC Barcelona Femení won it in both occasions.
- France Football first presented the Johan Cruyff Trophy for best coach in 2024. The inaugural winner of the Men's Coach of the Year was Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid, while the Women's Coach of the Year was awarded to Emma Hayes, who managed both Chelsea and the United States national team.
Special awards
.jpg)
Super Ballon d'Or
Main article: Super Ballon d'Or
An honorary award, under the name Super Ballon d'Or, was awarded to Alfredo Di Stéfano in 1989, who was voted the best multiple-time Ballon d'Or winner ahead of Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini.
In addition Diego Maradona received an honorary Ballon d'Or in 1995 for his services to football dubbed the Golden Ballon d'Or. Pelé also received a similar award during the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony dubbed the FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur.
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. 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.
| Player | Pts | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pelé
|
122 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Diego Maradona
|
65 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| Johan Cruyff
|
62 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 2 |
 Alfredo Di Stéfano
|
44 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Michel Platini
|
40 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
Le nouveau palmarès
To coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Ballon d'Or in 2016, France Football published an internationalized reevaluation of the awards presented before 1995, when only European players were eligible to win the award. 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—seven times—and Diego Maradona—twice—Garrincha, Mario Kempes, and Romário were retrospectively recognized as worthy winners. The original recipients, however, remain unchanged.
| Year | Original winner | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 |  Raymond Kopa
|
 Pelé
|
| 1959 | Alfredo Di Stéfano
|
Pelé
|
| 1960 | Luis Suárez
|
 Pelé
|
| 1961 | Omar Sívori
|
Pelé
|
| 1962 | Josef Masopust
|
Garrincha
|
| 1963 | Lev Yashin
|
Pelé
|
| 1964 | Denis Law
|
Pelé
|
| 1970 | Gerd Müller
|
 Pelé
|
| 1978 | Kevin Keegan
|
Mario Kempes
|
| 1986 | Igor Belanov
|
Diego Maradona
|
| 1990 | Lothar Matthäus
|
Diego Maradona
|
| 1994 | Hristo Stoichkov
|
Romário
|
Ballon d'Or Dream Team
Main article: 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. A second and a third team were also published.
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Team | |||
| Lev Yashin
|
Cafu Franz Beckenbauer Paolo Maldini
|
Xavi Lothar Matthäus Diego Maradona Pelé
|
Lionel Messi Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo
|
| Second Team | |||
| Gianluigi Buffon
|
Carlos Alberto Franco Baresi Roberto Carlos
|
Andrea Pirlo Frank Rijkaard Zinedine Zidane Alfredo Di Stéfano
|
Garrincha Johan Cruyff Ronaldinho
|
| Third Team | |||
| Manuel Neuer
|
Philipp Lahm Sergio Ramos Paul Breitner
|
Johan Neeskens Didi Michel Platini Andrés Iniesta
|
George Best Marco van Basten Thierry Henry
|
References
- ^ "Coronavirus: Ballon d'Or cancelled for first time in award's history". ESPN. 20 July 2020. ISSN 1097-1998. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- "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.
- ^ Anderson, Christopher J.; Arrondel, Luc; Blais, André; Daoust, Jean-François; Laslier, Jean-François; Van der Straeten, Karine (2020). "Messi, Ronaldo, and the Politics of Celebrity Elections: Voting for the Best Soccer Player in the World". Perspectives on Politics. 18 (1): 91–110. doi:10.1017/S1537592719002391. ISSN 1541-0986.
- "Ronaldo joins legendary list". BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- 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.
- "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.
- "FIFA World Player Gala 2008". FIFA. 12 January 2009. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "History of the Ballon d'Or: All the winners". UEFA. 3 November 2023. Archived from the original on 7 December 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- "Matthews wins first Golden Ball". BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ "The 1990s Ballon d'Or winners". BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Wright, Chris (30 October 2023). "Ranking every Ballon d'Or winner of the Champions League era". ESPN. ISSN 1097-1998. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
- "Kaka wins 2007 award". BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ 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 10 August 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ Guerin, Andreas (31 October 2023). "Ballon d'or : du plébiscite de 2009 au sacre de 2023, retour sur le grand huit de Lionel Messi" [Ballon d'Or: from the plebiscite of 2009 to the coronation of 2023, a look back at Lionel Messi's roller coaster]. Le Parisien (in French). ISSN 0767-3558. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ 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.
- Mather, Victor (30 October 2023). "Lionel Messi Wins Eighth Ballon d'Or as Soccer's Best Player". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095. Archived from the original on 9 September 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- 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 9 September 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Ritabrata, Banerjee (6 July 2022). "Premier League, Bundesliga or LaLiga – Which league has produced most Ballon d'Or winners?". Goal. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ Langell, Amanda (29 October 2024). "Men's Ballon d'Or: Full List of Winners". Sports Illustrated. ISSN 0038-822X. Archived from the original on 7 December 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- Di Maggio, Roberto; Moore, Rob; Stokkermans, Karel (16 November 2022). "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or")". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- "The FIFA Ballon d'Or is born". FIFA. 5 July 2010. Archived from the original on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
- "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.
- "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.
- "How the award came about". UEFA. 9 August 2011. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Ferré, Pascal (20 July 2020). "Il n'y aura pas de Ballon d'Or France Football en 2020" [There will be no France Football Ballon d'Or in 2020]. France Football (in French). ISSN 0015-9557. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- Pilger, Sam (23 August 2020). "Robert Lewandowski Would Have Been A Worthy 2020 Ballon d'Or Winner". Forbes. ISSN 0015-6914. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- "PSG's Lionel Messi: Robert Lewandowski deserved to win 2020 Ballon d'Or award". ESPN. 30 November 2021. ISSN 1097-1998. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Ballon d'Or: How are the winners decided?". UEFA. 28 October 2024. Archived from the original on 4 November 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ "Foot: Partenariat Amaury-UEFA pour co-organiser la cérémonie du Ballon d'Or" [Football: Amaury-UEFA partnership to co-organize the Ballon d'Or ceremony]. Le Figaro (in French). 3 November 2023. ISSN 1638-606X. Archived from the original on 13 December 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- 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.
- "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.
- 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.
- 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.
- "Palmarès du Ballon d'Or" [Ballon d'Or winners]. L'Equipe (in French). 29 October 2024. ISSN 0153-1069. Archived from the original on 4 November 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- "Les lauréats du Ballon d'Or" [Ballon d'Or winners]. France Football (in French). ISSN 0015-9557. Archived from the original on 4 November 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- Shapiro, Michael (7 June 2019). "Why Ballon d'Or Winner Ada Hegerberg Isn't Playing in the Women's World Cup". Sports Illustrated. ISSN 0038-822X. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- Crépin, Timothé (3 December 2018). "Kylian Mbappé est le vainqueur du premier Trophée Kopa" [Kylian Mbappé is the winner of the first Kopa Trophy]. France Football (in French). ISSN 0015-9557. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- "Chelsea sacré club de l'année" [Chelsea crowned club of the year]. L'Équipe (in French). 29 November 2021. ISSN 0153-1069. Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- Allen, William; Reidy, Paul (17 October 2022). "Ballon d'Or 2022: Benzema wins, awards, winners and latest updates from the ceremony". Diario AS. ISSN 1888-6671. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- "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.
- "Ballon d'or 2024 : le Real Madrid sacré club de l'année au cœur d'une cérémonie qu'il a boycottée" [2024 Ballon d'Or: Real Madrid crowned club of the year at the heart of a ceremony it boycotted]. Le Parisien (in French). 28 October 2024. ISSN 0767-3558. Archived from the original on 4 November 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- "Spain and Barcelona's Bonmati wins women's Ballon d'Or". BBC Sport. 28 October 2024. Archived from the original on 4 November 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- "Hayes and Ancelotti win Ballon d'Or coach awards". BBC Sport. 28 October 2024. Archived from the original on 4 November 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ 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.
- 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.
- ^ "Combien de Ballon(s) d'Or France Football aurait pu remporter Diego Maradona ?" [How many France Football Ballon(s) d'Or 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.
- "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.
- Stokkermans, Karel (23 December 2015). "The Best x Players of the Century/All-Time". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- Crépin, Timothé (2 December 2015). "Pelé devait être le recordman" [Pelé was to be the record holder]. France Football (in French). ISSN 0015-9557. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- 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.
- "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.
- "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.
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata
