The Ballon d'Or is weird. Honestly, it’s the most prestigious individual trophy in the world, yet almost every single year people walk away absolutely fuming about who actually won the thing. We’ve seen defensive midfielders get snubbed for decades, goalies basically ignored since the 1960s, and a ten-year era where if your name wasn't Messi or Ronaldo, you might as well have stayed home. But looking back at the Ballon d'Or winners list tells a deeper story than just "who was the best." It's a map of how football has changed from a European-only hobby to a global obsession.
The Early Days and the "European" Problem
When Gabriel Hanot and his colleagues at France Football dreamt this up in 1956, they weren't thinking about global domination. They just wanted to know who the best European player was. That's why names like Pelé and Diego Maradona are missing from the early archives. It’s kinda wild to think about now, but for nearly 40 years, the greatest players on the planet weren't even eligible.
The inaugural winner was Stanley Matthews. He was 41 years old. Imagine a 41-year-old winning it today—people would lose their minds on social media. After him, the late 50s were dominated by Real Madrid’s Alfredo Di Stéfano. He won it twice, in 1957 and 1959, and he’s still the only player to ever receive a "Super Ballon d'Or" years later.
Then came the 60s, a decade that gave us some of the most iconic names on the Ballon d'Or winners list. You had the legendary Lev Yashin in 1963, who remains the only goalkeeper to ever win the trophy. He played in all black, they called him the "Black Spider," and he reportedly saved over 150 penalties in his career. If a prime Gianluigi Buffon or Manuel Neuer couldn't replicate that feat in the modern era, it’s safe to say Yashin’s record might stand forever.
The Kings of the 70s and 80s
By the 1970s, the "Total Football" of the Netherlands took over. Johan Cruyff became the first man to win three times (1971, 1973, 1974). He didn't just play football; he re-engineered it. But he wasn't the only one. Franz Beckenbauer, "Der Kaiser," managed to win it twice as a defender in 1972 and 1976. This was a rare golden age for guys who didn't just score goals.
✨ Don't miss: Why Your 1 Arm Pull Up Progression Isn't Working (And How to Fix It)
The 1980s belonged to Michel Platini. The Frenchman went on a tear, winning three consecutive trophies from 1983 to 1985. Nobody had ever done that before. He was the ultimate midfield general for Juventus and France, though his later career in football politics would eventually overshadow his brilliance on the pitch. Following him, Marco van Basten grabbed three of his own, including back-to-back wins in '88 and '89, before his ankles sadly gave out on him way too early.
1995: The Year Everything Changed
If you look at the Ballon d'Or winners list, 1995 is the biggest turning point. That was the year they finally opened the doors to non-Europeans playing for European clubs. George Weah, the pride of Liberia and AC Milan, stepped through that door and took the trophy home immediately. He remains the only African player to ever win it.
The floodgates were open. Ronaldo—the "original" R9—won it in 1997 as a 21-year-old. He was, and still is, the youngest winner in history. He was a force of nature. He won it again in 2002 after his legendary World Cup comeback. Between those years, we saw Zinedine Zidane (1998), Rivaldo (1999), and Luis Figo (2000) take the stage. It felt like the talent was spread out. You never knew who would win.
The Era of the Two-Headed Monster
Then, the world broke. Or rather, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo decided they didn't feel like sharing anymore. Starting in 2008 with Ronaldo's first win at Manchester United, these two embarked on a duopoly that lasted over a decade.
🔗 Read more: El Salvador partido de hoy: Why La Selecta is at a Critical Turning Point
Messi currently holds the record with 8 wins (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023). Ronaldo sits at 5 (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017).
People still argue about 2010 (was it Wesley Sneijder's year?) or 2021 (did Robert Lewandowski get robbed?). Honestly, 2020 was the weirdest of all because they just... cancelled it. Because of the pandemic. Lewandowski had 55 goals that season and won the treble with Bayern Munich. He basically did everything but find a cure for the virus, and yet he’s not on the official Ballon d'Or winners list for that year. It’s arguably the biggest "what if" in the trophy's history.
The New Guard: Rodri, Dembélé, and Beyond
The post-Messi/Ronaldo era is finally here, and it’s looking a lot different. In 2024, Rodri shocked a lot of people by beating out Vinícius Júnior. It was a massive win for the "invisible" work of a defensive midfielder, someone who controls the game without necessarily having a TikTok highlight reel every week.
Most recently, in 2025, Ousmane Dembélé took the prize home after a monstrous season with Paris Saint-Germain, helping them to a historic quadruple. It's wild to see how the power has shifted. We're seeing more variety again. In the women's game, the Ballon d'Or Féminin—which only started in 2018—has been dominated recently by Spain's Aitana Bonmatí. She’s won three in a row (2023, 2024, 2025), proving that Barcelona’s DNA is still the gold standard for football excellence.
💡 You might also like: Meaning of Grand Slam: Why We Use It for Tennis, Baseball, and Breakfast
Why the Ballon d'Or Still Matters
You'll hear people say it's just a popularity contest. Kinda is, sometimes. But when you look at the names—Eusébio, Best, Rummenigge, Ronaldinho, Modrić—you're looking at the history of the sport itself.
If you're trying to make sense of the Ballon d'Or winners list or predict the next one, keep these factors in mind:
- Major Tournament Weight: In World Cup or Euro years, the winner almost always comes from the champion team. Rodri in 2024 is the perfect example.
- The "Goal Bias": Strikers have a massive advantage. If you want a defender or goalie to win, they basically have to be perfect for 12 months straight.
- The Narrative: Voters love a comeback story or a "final peak" story, which is partly how Messi grabbed his eighth after the 2022 World Cup.
Actionable Next Steps:
To really understand the prestige, don't just look at the winners. Go back and watch highlights of the "snubbed" players from 2010, 2013, and 2021. It gives you a much better perspective on how narrow the margins are between being a legend and being a Ballon d'Or winner. You should also keep an eye on the Kopa Trophy winners (like Lamine Yamal), as they usually predict who will be on the main podium within three to five years.