Report: History of the Ballon d'Or, winners list since 1956 and dominance of Messi and Ronaldo

The Ballon d'Or holds a prominent place in the world of football, having become one of the most prestigious individual awards since its inception in 1956. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) showcased the history of the award and the list of its winners over the past decades on its official website, starting with Englishman Stanley Matthews, the first winner, and culminating with Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé, who won the 2025 edition.

The Ballon d'Or was launched by France Football magazine in 1956, with Stanley Matthews being the first recipient. In the following years, it saw prominent winners, including Alfredo Di Stéfano, Raymond Kopa, Lev Yashin, Denis Law, Eusébio, and Bobby Charlton.

Over the following decades, several football legends continued to etch their names in the winners' record, including Johan Cruyff, who won the award three times, Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini, and Marco van Basten, who also won it three times.

The list of winners has featured illustrious names such as Roberto Baggio, George Weah, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Kaká, before entering a phase of fierce competition between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Lionel Messi tops the list of players with the most Ballon d'Or wins, having claimed the award eight times, in the years 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023.

The Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo comes next, having won the award five times in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017, making him one of the most prominent players in its history.

In recent years, Luka Modrić won the award in 2018, Karim Benzema in 2022, and Rodri in 2024, before Ousmane Dembélé claimed it in 2025. The 2020 edition was cancelled and no title was awarded.

The history of the award extends to women's football in 2018, when the Ballon d'Or Féminin was launched to honor the best female player in the world. The Norwegian Ada Hegerberg was the first to win it, followed by the American Megan Rapinoe in 2019.

In 2021 and 2022, Spanish player Alexia Putellas won the award, before her compatriot Aitana Bonmatí established her dominance by winning it in the following three editions, in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

The list of Ballon d'Or winners published by UEFA showcases different generations of football stars receiving the award over more than seven decades, with its continued presence as one of the most prestigious individual awards in men's and women's football.

The list of winners of the Ballon d'Or for men from 1956 to 2025:

Stanley Matthews - 1956.

Alfredo Di Stéfano - 1957

Raymond Kopa - 1958

Alfredo Di Stéfano - 1959

Luis Suárez - 1960

Omar Sívori was a prominent footballer who made a significant impact in the sport during his career, which began in 1961.

Joseph Masopust - 1962.

Lev Yashin - 1963

Dennis Law - 1964

Eusébio - 1965

Bobby Charlton - 1966

Florian Albert - 1967

George Best - 1968

Gianni Rivera - 1969

Gerd Müller - 1970

Johan Cruyff - 1971

Franz Beckenbauer - 1972.

Johan Cruyff - 1973

Johan Cruyff - 1974

Oleg Blokhin - 1975

Franz Beckenbauer - 1976

Alan Simonsen - 1977

Kevin Keegan - 1978 and 1979.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge - 1980 and 1981

Paolo Rossi - 1982

Michel Platini - 1983, 1984, and 1985.

Ihor Bilanov was born in 1986.

Ruud Gullit - 1987

Marco van Basten - 1988 and 1989

Lothar Matthäus - 1990

Jean-Pierre Papin - 1991

Marco van Basten - 1992

Roberto Baggio - 1993

Hristo Stoichkov was a key player in the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

George Weah - 1995

Matthias Sammer - 1996.

Ronaldo, the Brazilian, played in the World Cups of 1997 and 2002.

Zinedine Zidane - 1998.

Rivaldo was a key player in 1999.

Luis Figo - 2000

Michael Owen - 2001

Pavel Nedvěd - 2003.

Andriy Shevchenko - 2004

Ronaldinho - 2005.

Fabio Cannavaro - 2006

Kaká was awarded the Ballon d'Or in 2007.

Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017.

Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023.

Luka Modrić - 2018

Karim Benzema has had a remarkable year in 2022.

Rodri - 2024

Ousmane Dembélé is set to remain with his current club until 2025.

The Ballon d'Or ceremony is set to begin this evening at 9:00 PM Cairo and Saudi time, 8:00 PM Palestine time, and 10:00 PM UAE time. The event will last several hours and will be broadcast on beIN Sports News.