The Ballon d’Or has been awarded since 1956. Here is an overview of all the winners, including five Germans.
Ballon d’Or winners since 1956:
2025 Ousmane Dembelé (France/Paris St. Germain)
2024 Rodri (Spain/Manchester City)
2023 Lionel Messi (Argentina/Paris St. Germain)
2022 Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid)
2021 Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona and Paris St. Germain)
2020 not awarded
2019 Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona)
2018 Luka Modric (Croatia/Real Madrid)
2017 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid)
2016 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid)
2015* Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona)
2014* Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid)
2013* Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Real Madrid)
2012* Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona)
2011* Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona)
2010* Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona)
2009 Lionel Messi (Argentina/FC Barcelona)
2008 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Manchester United)
2007 Kaka (Brazil/AC Milan)
2006 Fabio Cannavaro (Italy/Real Madrid)
2005 Ronaldinho (Brazil/FC Barcelona)
2004 Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine/AC Milan)
2003 Pavel Nedved (Czechia/Juventus Turin)
2002 Ronaldo (Brazil/Inter Milan and Real Madrid)
2001 Michael Owen (England/Liverpool FC)
2000 Luis Figo (Portugal/Real Madrid)
1999 Rivaldo (Brazil/FC Barcelona)
1998 Zinedine Zidane (France/Juventus Turin)
1997 Ronaldo (Brazil/Inter Milan)
1996 Matthias Sammer (Germany/Borussia Dortmund)
1995 George Weah (Liberia/AC Milan)
1994 Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria/FC Barcelona)
1993 Roberto Baggio (Italy/Juventus Turin)
1992 Marco van Basten (Netherlands/AC Milan)
1991 Jean-Pierre Papin (France/Olympique Marseille)
1990 Lothar Matthäus (Germany/Inter Milan)
1989 Marco van Basten (Netherlands/AC Milan)
1988 Marco van Basten (Netherlands/AC Milan)
1987 Ruud Gullit (Netherlands/AC Milan)
1986 Igor Belanov (USSR/Dynamo Kiev)
1985 Michel Platini (France/Juventus Turin)
1984 Michel Platini (France/Juventus Turin)
1983 Michel Platini (France/Juventus Turin)
1982 Paolo Rossi (Italy/Juventus Turin)
1981 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany/Bayern Munich)
1980 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany/Bayern Munich)
1979 Kevin Keegan (England/Hamburger SV)
1978 Kevin Keegan (England/Hamburger SV)
1977 Allan Simonsen (Denmark/Borussia Mönchengladbach)
1976 Franz Beckenbauer (Germany/Bayern Munich)
1975 Oleg Blokhin (USSR/Dynamo Kiev)
1974 Johan Cruyff (Netherlands/FC Barcelona)
1973 Johan Cruyff (Netherlands/FC Barcelona)
1972 Franz Beckenbauer (Germany/Bayern Munich)
1971 Johan Cruyff (Netherlands/Ajax Amsterdam)
1970 Gerd Müller (Germany/Bayern Munich)
1969 Gianni Rivera (Italy/AC Milan)
1968 George Best (Northern Ireland/Manchester United)
1967 Florian Albert (Hungary/Ferencvaros Budapest)
1966 Bobby Charlton (England/Manchester United)
1965 Eusebio (Portugal/Benfica Lisbon)
1964 Denis Law (Scotland/Manchester United)
1963 Lev Yashin (USSR/Dynamo Moscow)
1962 Josef Masopust (CSSR/Dukla Prague)
1961 Omar Sivori (Italy/Juventus Turin)
1960 Luis Suarez (Spain/FC Barcelona)
1959 Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain/Real Madrid)
1958 Raymond Kopa (France/Real Madrid)
1957 Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain/Real Madrid)
1956 Sir Stanley Matthews (England/FC Blackpool)
* Between 2010 and 2015, FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d’Or were awarded together as FIFA Ballon d’Or
