Ballon d'Or Winners by Player
Every player to win football's Ballon d'Or more than once, ranked by total awards, from Lionel Messi's record eight to the game's other multiple winners.
Most wins(2 or more Ballon d'Or awards)
- 1
Lionel MessiArgentina2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 20238Awards - 2
Cristiano RonaldoPortugal2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 20175Awards - 3
Johan CruyffNetherlands1971, 1973, 19743Awards - 3
Michel PlatiniFrance1983, 1984, 19853Awards - 3
Marco van BastenNetherlands1988, 1989, 19923Awards - 6
Alfredo Di StéfanoSpain1957, 19592Awards - 6
Franz BeckenbauerWest Germany1972, 19762Awards - 6
Kevin KeeganEngland1978, 19792Awards - 6
Karl-Heinz RummeniggeWest Germany1980, 19812Awards - 6
RonaldoBrazil1997, 20022Awards
Source: Wikipedia, “Ballon d'Or”, as of July 2026. The most recent award, the 69th edition in 2025, was won by Ousmane Dembélé. Players with a single Ballon d'Or are not listed here.
Messi, Ronaldo and football's greatest individual honour
First awarded by France Football in 1956, the Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual prize in football. For most of its history the winners were spread widely, but the modern era has been dominated by two players: Lionel Messi, with a record 8 awards, and Cristiano Ronaldo, on 5.
Messi's haul includes an unprecedented four in a row from 2009 to 2012, a run no other player has matched. Before their duopoly, the benchmark was three wins, shared by three of the game's great artists, the Netherlands' Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten, and France's Michel Platini, who also won his three consecutively between 1983 and 1985.
The two-time winners span the decades and the very best of European and South American football: Real Madrid's Alfredo Di Stéfano, Germany's Franz Beckenbauer and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, England's Kevin Keegan, and Brazil's Ronaldo, whose 1997 and 2002 wins bookended a career of magic. The most recent award, in 2025, went to a first-time winner, Ousmane Dembélé.
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Frequently asked questions
Who has won the most Ballon d'Or awards?+
Lionel Messi has won the most Ballon d'Or awards with eight, in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023. No other player has won it more than five times.
How many Ballon d'Or awards has Cristiano Ronaldo won?+
Cristiano Ronaldo has won five Ballon d'Or awards, in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017, the second-most in history behind Lionel Messi's eight.
Who won the most recent Ballon d'Or?+
Ousmane Dembélé won the 2025 Ballon d'Or, the 69th edition and his first, after a standout season with Paris Saint-Germain.
Who won the first Ballon d'Or?+
England winger Stanley Matthews won the inaugural Ballon d'Or in 1956, aged 41, while playing for Blackpool. The award was created by the French magazine France Football.
Has any player won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row?+
Yes. Lionel Messi won it four years in a row from 2009 to 2012, a record, and Michel Platini won three consecutive awards from 1983 to 1985. They are the only players to win it three or more times consecutively.
Which players have won the Ballon d'Or three or more times?+
Five players have won at least three: Lionel Messi (8), Cristiano Ronaldo (5), and Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten with three each.