As of September 2026, Lionel Messi remains the record holder with eight Ballon d’Or wins. His total sits at eight, won across three different clubs and two continents. Cristiano Ronaldo is the closest challenger with five.
The Ballon d’Or has been presented by France Football since 1956. It is voted on by journalists from around the world and is widely treated as the sport’s highest individual honor.
Over almost seventy editions, the criteria and voting pool have changed several times, so comparing eras fairly takes some context.
Early winners were judged only against players based in Europe. That eligibility widened in 1995 to any nationality at a European club, then went fully global in 2007.
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Between 2010 and 2015, the award briefly merged with FIFA’s own player of the year prize under the name FIFA Ballon d’Or, before the two organizations split again in 2016.
Against that shifting backdrop, Messi and Ronaldo stand apart. Between them they have taken the award in nineteen of the twenty editions handed out from 2008 through 2023, an unbroken run of dominance no other pair of rivals has come close to matching.
The next tier down, three players tied on three wins each, shows just how wide that gap really is.
This guide answers the headline question first, then works through the complete winners list, the historical records, the country and club breakdowns, and a full set of frequently asked questions, all checked against France Football’s and UEFA’s published records.
Who Has Won the Most Ballon d’Or Awards?
Lionel Messi has won the most Ballon d’Or awards in history, with eight. Cristiano Ronaldo is second with five. No other player has won more than three.
| Rank | Player | Ballon d’Or wins | Years won |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | 8 | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023 |
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 5 | 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 |
| 3 | Michel Platini | 3 | 1983, 1984, 1985 |
| 4 | Johan Cruyff | 3 | 1971, 1973, 1974 |
| 5 | Marco van Basten | 3 | 1988, 1989, 1992 |
| 6 | Franz Beckenbauer | 2 | 1972, 1976 |
| 7 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | 2 | 1957, 1959 |
| 8 | Kevin Keegan | 2 | 1978, 1979 |
| 9 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | 2 | 1980, 1981 |
| 10 | Ronaldo Nazário | 2 | 1997, 2002 |
These are every player with at least two Ballon d’Or wins. Note that Franz Beckenbauer, who is not always included in shorter versions of this list, also won it twice, in 1972 and 1976. Everyone below this group has won the award exactly once, which the sections further down cover in full.
Lionel Messi: Most Ballon d’Or Wins
Messi’s eight wins span 2009 to 2023, a fourteen-year window that covers three clubs, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Inter Miami, and two continents.
He is the only player to win the award outside Europe and the only one to win it with three different clubs.
It is worth being clear about what the award actually measures. The Ballon d’Or is not decided by trophies alone.
France Football’s stated criteria weigh individual performance and decisive impact, team success, and fair play together, and voters are journalists, not statisticians, so influence and narrative matter as much as any single stat line.
2009. Messi’s first win came off the back of a treble-winning season at Barcelona under Pep Guardiola, including a Champions League final goal against Manchester United. He topped the vote comfortably ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.
2010 to 2012. Messi won three straight FIFA Ballon d’Or awards during the brief FIFA-merger period, extending his run to four consecutive titles overall from 2009 through 2012.
This stretch coincided with Barcelona’s continued dominance of Spanish and European football and some of the highest single-season goal totals of his career, including 91 goals in the calendar year 2012, a widely cited record for a single year.
2015. After finishing runner-up in 2013 and 2014 as Ronaldo won back to back, Messi reclaimed the award following another treble-winning Barcelona season alongside Luis Suárez and Neymar.
2019. His sixth award broke a tie with Ronaldo for the outright record at the time. It followed a season in which Messi won the Pichichi and European Golden Shoe with Barcelona.
2021. Messi’s seventh win came after Argentina’s Copa América triumph, his first major international trophy, ending years of near misses on the international stage. By this point he had already moved from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain.
2023. His eighth and most recent win followed Argentina’s 2022 World Cup title in Qatar, where Messi was named the tournament’s best player. The 2023 vote, held under the France Football criteria in place at the time, rewarded a full season plus the World Cup performance, with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé finishing second and third.
Cristiano Ronaldo: Five Ballon d’Or Wins
Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or five times: 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017. He also holds the record for the most nominations of any player, with eighteen appearances on the shortlist across his career.
2008. Ronaldo’s first win arrived during his Manchester United years, after a season in which he scored 42 goals and helped the club win the Premier League and the Champions League.
2013 and 2014. Both wins came during his Real Madrid era, the second following La Décima, Madrid’s tenth European Cup, won in 2014 with Ronaldo as the competition’s top scorer.
2016 and 2017. Ronaldo won back-to-back Ballons d’Or as Real Madrid claimed consecutive Champions League titles, a feat no club had managed since the competition was rebranded in 1992.
Ronaldo’s rivalry with Messi defined the award for a full decade. From 2008 to 2017, one of the two men won every single edition, and for several of those years the other finished second.
Ronaldo is unambiguously the second-most successful player in Ballon d’Or history, and the gap of three awards between him and Messi is itself larger than the win total of any other individual player.
Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff, and Marco van Basten
Michel Platini
Platini won three consecutive Ballons d’Or from 1983 to 1985, all while at Juventus. He led the Bianconeri to a European Cup and a Cup Winners’ Cup during that stretch and captained France to victory at Euro 1984, where he finished as top scorer with nine goals in five matches, still a European Championship record.
Johan Cruyff
Cruyff’s three wins came in 1971, 1973, and 1974: one with Ajax and two with Barcelona. He was the on-field architect of Ajax’s early-1970s European Cup dynasty and later of Total Football, the positional philosophy that reshaped how the Netherlands and Barcelona approached the game for decades afterward.
Marco van Basten
Van Basten won in 1988, 1989, and 1992, all with AC Milan. His three titles line up with Milan’s run of European Cup wins in 1989 and 1990 and with two European Championship-winning campaigns for the Netherlands, including the tournament-winning volley against the Soviet Union in the Euro 1988 final.
Players With Two Ballon d’Or Awards
| Player | Country | Winning years |
| Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | 1972, 1976 |
| Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain | 1957, 1959 |
| Kevin Keegan | England | 1978, 1979 |
| Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | 1980, 1981 |
| Ronaldo Nazário | Brazil | 1997, 2002 |
Franz Beckenbauer redefined the sweeper role for West Germany and Bayern Munich, and remains the only man to have won the World Cup as both a captain and a head coach.
Alfredo Di Stéfano was the leading figure of Real Madrid’s first great European dynasty, scoring in each of the club’s first five European Cup final wins between 1956 and 1960.
Kevin Keegan won both awards after leaving Liverpool for Hamburger SV, becoming one of the first British players to build a major career in continental Europe.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge anchored Bayern Munich’s back-to-back European Cup wins in 1974 to 1976 as a young player, then carried the club through the early 1980s as its focal attacker.
Ronaldo Nazário remains the youngest Ballon d’Or winner, taking the 1997 award at 21 years and 96 days after moving from Barcelona to Inter Milan.
Players With One Ballon d’Or Award
Winning the Ballon d’Or even a single time places a player among a very small group in football history. The list below is organized chronologically and includes every one-time winner, from the award’s first edition to its most recent.
| Year | Player | Country |
| 1956 | Stanley Matthews | England |
| 1958 | Raymond Kopa | France |
| 1960 | Luis Suárez | Spain |
| 1961 | Omar Sívori | Italy |
| 1962 | Josef Masopust | Czechoslovakia |
| 1963 | Lev Yashin | Soviet Union |
| 1964 | Denis Law | Scotland |
| 1965 | Eusébio | Portugal |
| 1966 | Bobby Charlton | England |
| 1967 | Flórián Albert | Hungary |
| 1968 | George Best | Northern Ireland |
| 1969 | Gianni Rivera | Italy |
| 1970 | Gerd Müller | West Germany |
| 1975 | Oleg Blokhin | Soviet Union |
| 1977 | Allan Simonsen | Denmark |
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italy |
| 1986 | Igor Belanov | Soviet Union |
| 1987 | Ruud Gullit | Netherlands |
| 1990 | Lothar Matthäus | Germany |
| 1991 | Jean-Pierre Papin | France |
| 1993 | Roberto Baggio | Italy |
| 1994 | Hristo Stoichkov | Bulgaria |
| 1995 | George Weah | Liberia |
| 1996 | Matthias Sammer | Germany |
| 1998 | Zinedine Zidane | France |
| 1999 | Rivaldo | Brazil |
| 2000 | Luís Figo | Portugal |
| 2001 | Michael Owen | England |
| 2003 | Pavel Nedvěd | Czech Republic |
| 2004 | Andriy Shevchenko | Ukraine |
| 2005 | Ronaldinho | Brazil |
| 2006 | Fabio Cannavaro | Italy |
| 2007 | Kaká | Brazil |
| 2018 | Luka Modrić | Croatia |
| 2022 | Karim Benzema | France |
| 2024 | Rodri | Spain |
| 2025 | Ousmane Dembélé | France |
Lev Yashin, the 1963 winner, remains the only goalkeeper ever to win the Ballon d’Or, a record now almost certainly unbeatable given how heavily the modern voting favors attacking players.
Most Ballon d’Or Wins by Country
Counting by the nationality a player represented at the time of winning, rather than birthplace, Argentina and France sit joint-top with eight wins each, though the paths there are very different.
| Country | Number of Ballon d’Or wins | Notable winners |
| Argentina | 8 | Lionel Messi (all 8) |
| France | 8 | Michel Platini, Raymond Kopa, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, Karim Benzema, Ousmane Dembélé |
| Germany | 7 | Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Lothar Matthäus, Matthias Sammer |
| Netherlands | 7 | Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit |
| Portugal | 7 | Cristiano Ronaldo, Eusébio, Luís Figo |
| Italy | 5 | Gianni Rivera, Paolo Rossi, Roberto Baggio, Fabio Cannavaro, Omar Sívori |
| Brazil | 5 | Ronaldo Nazário, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaká |
| England | 5 | Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan, Michael Owen |
| Spain | 4 | Alfredo Di Stéfano, Luis Suárez, Rodri |
| Soviet Union | 3 | Lev Yashin, Oleg Blokhin, Igor Belanov |
Argentina’s total belongs to one man alone, which makes it the single most concentrated national tally on this list.
France’s eight wins, by contrast, are spread across six different players over almost seventy years, arguably a better indicator of sustained depth.
Nationality here follows the country a player represented, not necessarily where they were born.
Di Stéfano was born in Argentina but is credited to Spain, and Sívori, also Argentine-born, is credited to Italy, both having taken citizenship of their adopted countries before winning.
Most Ballon d’Or Wins by Club
This ranking attributes each award to the club the player represented at the time of winning, not the club they later became most associated with. Real Madrid and Barcelona are tied at the top.
| Club | Ballon d’Or wins | Notable winners |
| Real Madrid | 12 | Alfredo Di Stéfano, Raymond Kopa, Luís Figo, Ronaldo Nazário, Fabio Cannavaro, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modrić, Karim Benzema |
| Barcelona | 12 | Luis Suárez, Johan Cruyff, Hristo Stoichkov, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi |
| Juventus | 8 | Omar Sívori, Paolo Rossi, Michel Platini, Roberto Baggio, Zinedine Zidane, Pavel Nedvěd |
| AC Milan | 8 | Gianni Rivera, Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, George Weah, Andriy Shevchenko, Kaká |
| Bayern Munich | 5 | Gerd Müller, Franz Beckenbauer, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge |
| Manchester United | 4 | Denis Law, Bobby Charlton, George Best, Cristiano Ronaldo |
| Inter Milan | 2 | Lothar Matthäus, Ronaldo Nazário |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 2 | Oleg Blokhin, Igor Belanov |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 2 | Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembélé |
| Hamburger SV | 2 | Kevin Keegan (both his wins) |
Because a handful of players signed for a new club during the same calendar year they won, France Football’s official records occasionally attribute a single edition to the club that signed the player mid-year rather than the one they played for during most of the vote.
Ronaldo’s 2002 award, for instance, is credited to Real Madrid even though most of that season was played at Inter Milan, since he signed for Madrid before the ceremony. This page follows France Football’s own attribution in every case.
Can Anyone Break Messi’s Ballon d’Or Record?
Messi’s eight sits three clear of Ronaldo’s five, and the gap to third place, three wins each for Platini, Cruyff, and van Basten, is even larger.
Breaking the record outright would require a level of longevity at the very top of the sport that only two players have ever managed.
A realistic challenger would need most of the following: elite performance sustained across a decade or more, multiple major club trophies including the Champions League, a major international title, and the kind of era-defining individual seasons that carry a vote even in years when a rival peaks at the same time.
Several elite players of the current generation could theoretically challenge Messi’s record, but none is remotely close to eight wins yet. Reaching that total would require sustained excellence across many seasons.
None of them is close to the record at this stage, and no single player should be assumed certain to break it. History suggests it takes a rare combination of talent, timing, and rivalry to even approach what Messi and Ronaldo built.
Ballon d’Or Winners Who Never Won It Again
Thirty-seven men have won the Ballon d’Or exactly once. That is more than half of every edition ever awarded, and it is a useful reminder of how difficult winning even a single time actually is.
Some one-time winners, like Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, and Luka Modrić, are considered among the greatest players of their generation regardless of their Ballon d’Or count.
Others, like Fabio Cannavaro, a defender, won in a year when their position and role were unusually well suited to that season’s voting mood.
A one-time win is not a mark against a player. It usually means a rival, often Messi, Ronaldo, or another multiple winner, was simply active in the same years.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who has won the most Ballon d’Or awards?
Lionel Messi, with eight wins between 2009 and 2023.
2. How many Ballon d’Or awards has Ronaldo won?
Five: 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017.
3. Who won the first Ballon d’Or?
Stanley Matthews of England, playing for Blackpool, won the first award in 1956.
4. How many consecutive Ballon d’Or awards did Messi win?
Four in a row, from 2009 through 2012.
5. Has any player won the Ballon d’Or more than five times?
Yes, only Messi, with eight. Ronaldo’s five is the second-highest total ever.
6. Who has won the most Ballon d’Or awards in the 21st century?
Lionel Messi, with all eight of his wins coming since 2009.
7. Who has won the most Ballon d’Or awards by country?
Argentina and France are tied at the top with eight wins each, though Argentina’s total belongs entirely to Messi while France’s is spread across six players.
8. Which club has produced the most Ballon d’Or winners?
Real Madrid and Barcelona are tied with twelve wins each, the most of any club.
Conclusion
Lionel Messi is the outright record holder for Ballon d’Or wins, with eight. Cristiano Ronaldo sits second with five. Below them, Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff, and Marco van Basten each won three, and five further players, Franz Beckenbauer, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Kevin Keegan, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and Ronaldo Nazário, each won twice.
Everyone else on the list, thirty-seven players in total, won the award exactly once. That is worth remembering whenever a one-time winner’s career gets measured against multiple winners. Winning the Ballon d’Or even a single time puts a player in genuinely rare company.
What Messi and Ronaldo built together is historically unusual by any measure.
Between them, Messi and Ronaldo won 13 of the 15 Ballon d’Or awards presented from 2008 through 2023, with Luka Modrić winning in 2018 and Karim Benzema in 2022. The 2020 award was cancelled.
For the complete year-by-year list, including full point totals and every nominee shortlist, see our full Ballon d’Or Winners List.
