Ousmane Dembélé became the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner, adding his name to a list that began with Stanley Matthews in 1956. Since then, Lionel Messi has set the record with eight wins, while Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed five.
Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten each collected the award three times. The list also includes Rodri, Luka Modrić, Karim Benzema, Ronaldinho, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo.
The Ballon d’Or winners list below covers every men’s winner from 1956 to 2025, plus every Ballon d’Or Féminin winner since 2018. It also records the players with the most wins, the first goalkeeper to win the prize and the latest Ballon d’Or results.
Ballon d’Or Winners From 1956 to 2025
| Year | Winner |
| 1956 | Stanley Matthews |
| 1957 | Alfredo Di Stéfano |
| 1958 | Raymond Kopa |
| 1959 | Alfredo Di Stéfano |
| 1960 | Luis Suárez |
| 1961 | Omar Sívori |
| 1962 | Josef Masopust |
| 1963 | Lev Yashin |
| 1964 | Denis Law |
| 1965 | Eusébio |
| 1966 | Bobby Charlton |
| 1967 | Flórián Albert |
| 1968 | George Best |
| 1969 | Gianni Rivera |
| 1970 | Gerd Müller |
| 1971 | Johan Cruyff |
| 1972 | Franz Beckenbauer |
| 1973 | Johan Cruyff |
| 1974 | Johan Cruyff |
| 1975 | Oleh Blokhin |
| 1976 | Franz Beckenbauer |
| 1977 | Allan Simonsen |
| 1978 | Kevin Keegan |
| 1979 | Kevin Keegan |
| 1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge |
| 1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge |
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi |
| 1983 | Michel Platini |
| 1984 | Michel Platini |
| 1985 | Michel Platini |
| 1986 | Ihor Belanov |
| 1987 | Ruud Gullit |
| 1988 | Marco van Basten |
| 1989 | Marco van Basten |
| 1990 | Lothar Matthäus |
| 1991 | Jean-Pierre Papin |
| 1992 | Marco van Basten |
| 1993 | Roberto Baggio |
| 1994 | Hristo Stoichkov |
| 1995 | George Weah |
| 1996 | Matthias Sammer |
| 1997 | Ronaldo |
| 1998 | Zinedine Zidane |
| 1999 | Rivaldo |
| 2000 | Luís Figo |
| 2001 | Michael Owen |
| 2002 | Ronaldo |
| 2003 | Pavel Nedvěd |
| 2004 | Andriy Shevchenko |
| 2005 | Ronaldinho |
| 2006 | Fabio Cannavaro |
| 2007 | Kaká |
| 2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2009 | Lionel Messi |
| 2010 | Lionel Messi |
| 2011 | Lionel Messi |
| 2012 | Lionel Messi |
| 2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2015 | Lionel Messi |
| 2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2018 | Luka Modrić |
| 2019 | Lionel Messi |
| 2020 | Not awarded |
| 2021 | Lionel Messi |
| 2022 | Karim Benzema |
| 2023 | Lionel Messi |
| 2024 | Rodri |
| 2025 | Ousmane Dembélé |
Players With the Most Wins
Lionel Messi leads the men’s standings with eight Ballon d’Or awards. Cristiano Ronaldo has five, while Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten each have three.
Alfredo Di Stéfano, Franz Beckenbauer, Kevin Keegan, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Ronaldo each won twice.
| Player | Wins |
| Lionel Messi | 8 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 5 |
| Johan Cruyff | 3 |
| Michel Platini | 3 |
| Marco van Basten | 3 |
| Alfredo Di Stéfano | 2 |
| Franz Beckenbauer | 2 |
| Kevin Keegan | 2 |
| Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | 2 |
| Ronaldo | 2 |
Messi won in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023. Ronaldo claimed his five awards in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Ballon d’Or Records and Firsts
Stanley Matthews collected the first Ballon d’Or in 1956 while playing for Blackpool. He was 41 when he won.
Lev Yashin won the 1963 award and remains the only goalkeeper to have claimed the men’s prize.
Messi won four consecutive awards from 2009 to 2012. Cruyff won three times in 1971, 1973 and 1974, while Platini secured three successive victories from 1983 to 1985. Van Basten also reached three wins through his 1988, 1989 and 1992 victories.
Ronaldo won the 1997 award at 21 years old, making him the youngest winner at that time.
The organisers cancelled the 2020 Ballon d’Or because of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ballon d’Or Winners Since 2000
The 21st century has produced winners from several generations of football.
| Year | Winner |
| 2000 | Luís Figo |
| 2001 | Michael Owen |
| 2002 | Ronaldo |
| 2003 | Pavel Nedvěd |
| 2004 | Andriy Shevchenko |
| 2005 | Ronaldinho |
| 2006 | Fabio Cannavaro |
| 2007 | Kaká |
| 2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2009 | Lionel Messi |
| 2010 | Lionel Messi |
| 2011 | Lionel Messi |
| 2012 | Lionel Messi |
| 2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2015 | Lionel Messi |
| 2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2018 | Luka Modrić |
| 2019 | Lionel Messi |
| 2020 | Not awarded |
| 2021 | Lionel Messi |
| 2022 | Karim Benzema |
| 2023 | Lionel Messi |
| 2024 | Rodri |
| 2025 | Ousmane Dembélé |
Messi and Ronaldo won 13 of the 21 awards presented between 2005 and 2025. Modrić, Benzema, Rodri and Dembélé interrupted their run in 2018, 2022, 2024 and 2025.
Ballon d’Or Féminin Winners
France Football introduced the women’s Ballon d’Or in 2018. Ada Hegerberg won the first edition, followed by Megan Rapinoe in 2019.
The organisers cancelled the 2020 award before Alexia Putellas won twice in 2021 and 2022. Aitana Bonmatí then took three consecutive awards from 2023 to 2025.
| Year | Winner |
| 2018 | Ada Hegerberg |
| 2019 | Megan Rapinoe |
| 2020 | Not awarded |
| 2021 | Alexia Putellas |
| 2022 | Alexia Putellas |
| 2023 | Aitana Bonmatí |
| 2024 | Aitana Bonmatí |
| 2025 | Aitana Bonmatí |
Ballon d’Or 2025 Winner
Ousmane Dembélé won the 2025 men’s Ballon d’Or at the ceremony in Paris on 22 September 2025.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward finished ahead of the other nominees after a season in which the club won the UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Trophée des Champions.
Aitana Bonmatí retained the women’s award at the same ceremony.
Ballon d’Or 2026
The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place on 26 October 2026 in London.
The event will come 70 years after Matthews received the first men’s award in 1956.
FAQs
Who has won the most Ballon d’Or awards?
Lionel Messi has won the men’s Ballon d’Or eight times.
How many Ballon d’Or awards has Cristiano Ronaldo won?
Cristiano Ronaldo has won five men’s Ballon d’Or awards.
Who won the first Ballon d’Or?
Stanley Matthews won the first Ballon d’Or in 1956.
Who is the only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d’Or?
Lev Yashin won the men’s Ballon d’Or in 1963 and remains the only goalkeeper to receive the award.
Who won the Ballon d’Or in 2025?
Ousmane Dembélé won the men’s award, while Aitana Bonmatí won the women’s award.
Who won the Ballon d’Or in 2024?
Rodri won the men’s Ballon d’Or in 2024.
Was the Ballon d’Or awarded in 2020?
No. Organisers cancelled both the men’s and women’s awards in 2020.
Who has won the Ballon d’Or three times?
Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten each won the men’s award three times.
Who has won the most women’s Ballon d’Or awards?
Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas have each won the women’s Ballon d’Or three times.
Conclusion
Stanley Matthews won the first Ballon d’Or in 1956, while Ousmane Dembélé became the latest men’s winner in 2025. Lionel Messi holds the record with eight wins, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo on five.
In the women’s award, Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas share the record with three wins each. The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place in London on 26 October, when a new name could join the winners list.
