A Century of the Ballon d'Or: From Matthews to Messi and Ronaldo

A Century of the Ballon d'Or: From Matthews to Messi and Ronaldo

In 1956, France Football editor-in-chief Gabriel Hanot launched an award called the Ballon d'Or to honor the best footballer in Europe over the previous year. The first winner, in 1956, was 38-year-old Stanley Matthews of Blackpool in England, known as the "god of dribbling," who had been playing professionally for 24 years. That was the starting point of the Ballon d'Or.

Seventy years on, the Ballon d'Or has become football's highest individual honor: Messi 8 times, Cristiano Ronaldo 5 times, Johan Cruyff 3 times, Michel Platini 3 times, Marco van Basten 3 times. Seven decades have been chronicled in the names of its winners, each the strongest of his era. Let's revisit this century-long story and see how the Ballon d'Or got to where it is today.

How the Ballon d'Or Was Born

In 1956, Gabriel Hanot was editor at France Football and felt that football had no dedicated award for the best player. Cinema had the Oscars and science had the Nobels, so why shouldn't football have its own top honor? He and his editorial team decided to use a "golden ball" as the trophy, gold for the highest and a ball for football, a name as direct as it gets.

The voting format was originally limited to European players, with journalists across Europe ranking five names and awarding 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 points respectively. The highest total won. In 1956, Stanley Matthews collected 47 points, beating Alfredo Di Stefano (44) and Raymond Kopa (33). At 41, Matthews remains the oldest Ballon d'Or winner to this day.

The Early Legends

Alfredo Di Stefano won in 1957 and 1959. Argentine by birth, he played for Real Madrid as the best center forward of his era, leading Madrid to five European Cup titles. In 1958, Raymond Kopa, the French forward also at Real Madrid, won the award.

The 1960s belonged to Britain and the Netherlands: Denis Law in 1964, Bobby Charlton in 1966, George Best in 1968. In 1971, 1973 and 1974, Johan Cruyff won three times. The heart of "total football," a legend at the Netherlands, Ajax and Barcelona, Cruyff became the third player in history to win the Ballon d'Or three times.

A Galaxy of Stars in the 1970s

In 1972 and 1976, Germany's Franz Beckenbauer won twice, the only player in history to win the Ballon d'Or as a sweeper, leading Germany to the 1974 World Cup title. In 1975, the Soviet Union's Oleg Blokhin won, the first Soviet citizen to lift the Ballon d'Or, and the heart of Dynamo Kyiv's Cup Winners' Cup triumph that year.

In 1978, England's Kevin Keegan won, a Hamburg and Liverpool legend who symbolized English football in that era. He won again in 1979, becoming only the third player after Cruyff and Beckenbauer to win in back-to-back years.

The 1980s, a Franco-Dutch Duel

France's Michel Platini won in 1983, 1984 and 1985, the only player in history to win three consecutive Ballons d'Or until Ronaldo and Messi later broke the record. Platini, the Juventus attacking midfielder, led France to the 1984 European Championship, the country's first major international title.

In 1986, the Soviet Union's Igor Belanov won after his country beat Belgium 5-3 in the World Cup round of 16, stunning the world. In 1988, 1989 and 1992, the Netherlands' Marco van Basten won three times, the most elegant center forward in football history. His 45-degree volley in the 1988 Euros final against the Soviet Union remains one of the most iconic goals in football.

Stars Crowding the 1990s

Italy's Roberto Baggio won in 1993, and Liberia's George Weah won in 1995, the first non-European player to claim the Ballon d'Or while playing as an AC Milan striker. In 1994, Bulgaria's Hristo Stoichkov won after leading Bulgaria to the World Cup semifinals.

In 1996, Germany's Matthias Sammer won as Dortmund's sweeper after leading Germany to Euro 1996. In 1997 and 2002, Brazil's Ronaldo ("the Alien") won twice, the most dominant striker of the late 1990s with a complete package of speed, technique and finishing. In 1998, France's Zinedine Zidane won after leading France to the World Cup with two headers against Brazil in the final. In 1999 and 2000, Brazil's Rivaldo and Portugal's Figo won.

A Constellation in the 2000s

In 2001, England's Michael Owen won as a Liverpool striker at 21, one of the youngest winners ever. In 2003, the Czech Republic's Pavel Nedved won as the heart of Juventus. In 2004, Ukraine's Andriy Shevchenko won as AC Milan's striker.

In 2005, Brazil's Ronaldinho won as the heart of Barcelona, leading them to La Liga, the most joyful genius in world football. In 2006, Italy's Fabio Cannavaro won, the first pure center back to claim the Ballon d'Or, after leading Italy to the World Cup. In 2007, Brazil's Kaka won as AC Milan's attacking midfielder after taking them to the Champions League title. In 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo won and world football entered the Messi-Ronaldo era.

The Messi-Ronaldo Era

From 2008 to 2023, over 16 years, Messi won 8 times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023) and Cristiano Ronaldo won 5 times (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017). Together, they won 13 of those years, leaving only three to others: Modric in 2018, Benzema in 2022 and Rodri in 2024.

Messi and Ronaldo formed a duel unique in Ballon d'Or history. Stylistically opposite, Messi short and built on technique, vision and dribbling, Ronaldo tall and built on speed, power and heading, they ruled world football for 16 straight years, a head-to-head rivalry unlikely to return for decades. They seem to have been born for the Ballon d'Or, making the award the most talked-about it has ever been.

Controversies and Regrets

In 70 years, the Ballon d'Or has plenty of regrets and controversies. The first regret: neither Pele nor Maradona won. Before 1995, the Ballon d'Or considered only European players or those playing for European clubs. Pele spent his career in Brazil and the U.S., so he wasn't eligible. Maradona played at Napoli in Italy but the rules still ruled him out. Those are the two biggest blanks in the award's history.

Second regret: George Best won only once. As a Northern Irishman, his country was too weak to qualify for World Cups, costing him in the voting. Third regret: Paolo Maldini, the greatest left back in history, never won, because voters favored attackers. Fourth controversy: in 2006, Cannavaro won, but many believe Zidane should have, after taking France to the final. Zidane's red card for head-butting Materazzi seems to have swung journalists to Cannavaro, a voting bias that still rankles today.

The Ballon d'Or's Legacy in Football

In 70 years, the Ballon d'Or has chronicled the history of football, immortalizing names like Matthews, Di Stefano, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Platini, van Basten, Baggio, Zidane, Ronaldinho, Messi and Ronaldo.

Today, the Ballon d'Or is arguably more important than the World Cup itself, because the World Cup honors teams while the Ballon d'Or honors individuals. For a player, winning it is the highest achievement of a lifetime. Fans around the world watch the ceremony, debate the result and cheer for their favorites, which is the award's greatest contribution: it gives the team sport of football a personal hero narrative, gives every generation its Ballon d'Or memories. That is the enduring magic of the Ballon d'Or, and why it will keep going forever.