It was first awarded in 1956. The most recent winner is was Spanish player Rodri in 2024. Prior to that the award has been dominated by Argentinian Lionel Messi, winning the men's Ballon d'Or award a record eight times. Cristiano Ronaldo also won the award five times.

Jan 25, 2025 · Lionel Messi has won over seven Ballon d’Or awards throughout his career. He received his first award at 22 in the 2009–10 football season. He won the award with the biggest voting margin in each trophy’s history.

The 2009 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in the world as judged by an international panel of sports journalists, was awarded to Lionel Messi of Barcelona on 1 December 2009, the first of his record setting eight Ballon d'Or awards.

Jan 15, 2024 · In December 2008 a 23-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo lifted the first of his five Ballon d’Or awards. The following year Lionel Messi, then just 22, won the award for the first time.

Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Lionel Messi (right) won thirteen Ballon d'Or trophies between them from 2008 to 2023. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge won the award back-to-back in 1980 and 1981. Michel Platini won the award three years running from 1983 to 1985.

Oct 28, 2024 · The two generational talents dominated the award for 15 years. This is when Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo won their first Ballon d'Or prizes.

[103] [104] Messi again won the FIFA Ballon d'Or, becoming the first player in history to win the Ballon d'Or four times. [ 104 ] [ 105 ] He signed a new contract committing himself to the club through 2018, and wore the captain's armband for the first …

On December 1, 2009, Leo Messi was crowned as the best player in the world for the first time when he won the Ballon d'Or. At only 22, he led the team during a historic year for Barça, in...

Oct 30, 2023 · Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or award a record-stretching eight times throughout his peerless career – which led us to compare his stats from each of his award-winning years. Messi, who first won the award in 2009, has been remarkably consistent over the last 13 years and has shown no signs of slowing down – even if he doesn’t ...

It was also the clincher for Messi’s first Ballon d’Or. The first of eight, a record in the history of the award, capped by his most recent in 2023. The Ballon d’Or was created by the France Football magazine in the 1950s to crown the best European male footballer.