While the Ballon d’Or is remembered primarily for its winners, the runners-up list tells an equally compelling story. Football’s greatest players have finished second in this prestigious award. Many of them won it in other years. Some never won it at all.
This article lists every Ballon d’Or runner-up year by year, from the award’s first edition in 1956 through 2025.
It also identifies the players with the most second-place finishes and examines how the award’s voting system has changed over time.
Ballon d’Or Runners-Up: Complete List by Year
The award was not presented in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some early years had ties for second or third place. Data is based on official France Football results.
| Year | Runner-Up |
|---|---|
| 1956 | Alfredo Di Stéfano |
| 1957 | Billy Wright |
| 1958 | Helmut Rahn |
| 1959 | Raymond Kopa |
| 1960 | Ferenc Puskás |
| 1961 | Luis Suárez |
| 1962 | Eusébio |
| 1963 | Gianni Rivera |
| 1964 | Luis Suárez |
| 1965 | Giacinto Facchetti |
| 1966 | Eusébio |
| 1967 | Bobby Charlton |
| 1968 | Bobby Charlton |
| 1969 | Gigi Riva |
| 1970 | Bobby Moore |
| 1971 | Sandro Mazzola |
| 1972 | Gerd Müller / Günter Netzer (tie) |
| 1973 | Dino Zoff |
| 1974 | Franz Beckenbauer |
| 1975 | Franz Beckenbauer |
| 1976 | Rob Rensenbrink |
| 1977 | Kevin Keegan |
| 1978 | Hans Krankl |
| 1979 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge |
| 1980 | Bernd Schuster |
| 1981 | Paul Breitner |
| 1982 | Alain Giresse |
| 1983 | Kenny Dalglish |
| 1984 | Jean Tigana |
| 1985 | Preben Elkjær |
| 1986 | Gary Lineker |
| 1987 | Paulo Futre |
| 1988 | Ruud Gullit |
| 1989 | Franco Baresi |
| 1990 | Salvatore Schillaci |
| 1991 | Dejan Savićević / Darko Pančev / Lothar Matthäus (tie) |
| 1992 | Hristo Stoichkov |
| 1993 | Dennis Bergkamp |
| 1994 | Roberto Baggio |
| 1995 | Jürgen Klinsmann |
| 1996 | Ronaldo |
| 1997 | Predrag Mijatović |
| 1998 | Davor Šuker |
| 1999 | David Beckham |
| 2000 | Zinedine Zidane |
| 2001 | Raúl |
| 2002 | Roberto Carlos |
| 2003 | Thierry Henry |
| 2004 | Deco |
| 2005 | Frank Lampard |
| 2006 | Gianluigi Buffon |
| 2007 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2008 | Lionel Messi |
| 2009 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2010 | Andrés Iniesta |
| 2011 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2012 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2013 | Lionel Messi |
| 2014 | Lionel Messi |
| 2015 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2016 | Lionel Messi |
| 2017 | Lionel Messi |
| 2018 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| 2019 | Virgil van Dijk |
| 2020 | Not awarded |
| 2021 | Robert Lewandowski |
| 2022 | Sadio Mané |
| 2023 | Erling Haaland |
| 2024 | Vinícius Júnior |
| 2025 | Lamine Yamal |
Note on the FIFA Ballon d’Or era (2010–2015): From 2010 through 2015, France Football and FIFA jointly presented the FIFA Ballon d’Or.
The award returned to the France Football name in 2016. The results from the joint period remain part of the historical Ballon d’Or record.
Players With the Most Ballon d’Or Runner-Up Finishes
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record with 6 Ballon d’Or runner-up finishes, followed by Lionel Messi with 5. Several players have two runner-up finishes, while a larger group has one.
Here are the players with the most second-place finishes (based on official results through the 2025 award):
| Player | Runner-Up Finishes | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 6 | 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018 |
| Lionel Messi | 5 | 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 |
| Franz Beckenbauer | 2 | 1974, 1975 |
| Luis Suárez | 2 | 1961, 1964 |
| Eusébio | 2 | 1962, 1966 |
| Bobby Charlton | 2 | 1967, 1968 |
Other notable players with one runner-up finish include Alfredo Di Stéfano (1956), Raymond Kopa (1959), Kevin Keegan (1977), Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1979), Ronaldo (1996), Zinedine Zidane (2000), and several more.
Ronaldo’s six second-place finishes came in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2018. Messi’s five came in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
All five of Messi’s runner-up finishes came when Cristiano Ronaldo won the award.
Lionel Messi’s Ballon d’Or Runner-Up Finishes
Messi finished second in the Ballon d’Or voting five times. In 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo won his first Ballon d’Or. Messi finished second with 281 points to Ronaldo’s 446.
Messi won the award the following year and went on to collect four consecutive Ballon d’Or victories from 2009 through 2012.
Messi finished runner-up to Ronaldo three more times. In 2013, Ronaldo won with Messi second. In 2014, Ronaldo won again with Messi second. In 2015, Messi won the award with Ronaldo second.
In 2016, Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or with Messi finishing second. Ronaldo won again in 2017, with Messi once again in second place.
After 2017, Messi won the award three more times (2019, 2021, 2023). Ronaldo did not place in the top three during any of these years. Messi claimed his eighth Ballon d’Or in 2023, breaking the all-time record.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Ballon d’Or Runner-Up Finishes
Ronaldo finished second six times. This is the most runner-up finishes by any player in the award’s history.
In 2007, Ronaldo finished second to Kaka with 277 points. Lionel Messi placed third.
Ronaldo finished second to Messi in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015. In 2018, Luka Modrić finished ahead of Ronaldo.
Notable Ballon d’Or Runners-Up Who Never Won
The following players finished second in the Ballon d’Or but never won the award:
| Player | Year(s) as Runner-Up | Context / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ferenc Puskás | 1960 | Second to Luis Suárez |
| Dino Zoff | 1973 | Second to Johan Cruyff |
| Kenny Dalglish | 1983 | Second to Michel Platini. |
| Franco Baresi | 1989 | Second to Marco van Basten |
| David Beckham | 1999 | Second to Rivaldo |
| Raúl | 2001 | Second to Michael Owen |
| Thierry Henry | 2003 | Second to Pavel Nedvěd |
| Frank Lampard | 2005 | Second to Ronaldinho |
| Gianluigi Buffon | 2006 | Second to Fabio Cannavaro |
| Andrés Iniesta | 2010 | Second to Lionel Messi |
| Virgil van Dijk | 2019 | Second to Messi |
| Robert Lewandowski | 2021 | Second to Messi |
| Sadio Mané | 2022 | Second to Karim Benzema |
| Erling Haaland | 2023 | Second to Messi |
| Vinícius Júnior | 2024 | Second to Rodri |
| Lamine Yamal | 2025 | Second to Ousmane Dembélé |
What Does Finishing Second in the Ballon d’Or Mean?
Finishing second means the player received the second-highest number of votes in that year’s Ballon d’Or voting.
The runner-up is not “the second-best player in the world” in any objective sense. The award reflects voting criteria set by France Football and is subject to change.
Before 1995, eligibility was restricted to European players. From 1995, players from any nationality could be considered, provided they played for a European club. Since 2007, the award has been open to players from clubs worldwide.
The voting process has also changed. Before 2010, only journalists voted. From 2010 to 2015 (the FIFA Ballon d’Or years), captains and managers of national teams also voted. Since 2016, voting has been restricted to journalists again.
A runner-up finish in 2010 came from a different voting system than a runner-up finish in 2021, illustrating why results from different eras should be compared with their historical context.
Comparing runner-up performances across eras requires acknowledging these structural differences.
Ballon d’Or Runner-Up FAQs
Who has finished second in the Ballon d’Or the most times?
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record with six runner-up finishes. He finished second in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2018.
Has Lionel Messi ever finished second in the Ballon d’Or?
Yes. Messi finished second five times. He finished runner-up in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017.
Has Cristiano Ronaldo ever finished second in the Ballon d’Or?
Yes. Ronaldo finished second six times, more than any other player in the award’s history.
Who finished second in the Ballon d’Or in 2025?
Lamine Yamal of Barcelona finished second in 2025. Ousmane Dembélé of Paris Saint-Germain won the award.
Can a player finish second in the Ballon d’Or more than once?
Yes. Cristiano Ronaldo finished second six times, while Lionel Messi finished second five times. Franz Beckenbauer, Luis Suárez, Eusébio and Bobby Charlton each finished second twice.
Has every Ballon d’Or runner-up eventually won the award?
No. Some players have finished second without ever winning the Ballon d’Or. Andrés Iniesta finished second in 2010, while Virgil van Dijk was runner-up in 2019. Neither has won the award.
Conclusion
The Ballon d’Or runners-up list spans nearly 70 years of football history. It includes many of football’s greatest players. Some won the award in other years. Others never won it at all.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have the two highest runner-up totals in the modern Ballon d’Or record, with Ronaldo finishing second six times and Messi five times.
Their repeated appearances near the top of the voting form one of the defining patterns of the Ballon d’Or’s recent history.
The historical record also shows that the gap between first and second can vary considerably from one year to another, while changes to the voting system make direct comparisons between different eras more complicated.
This underscores the subjective nature of individual awards in a team sport and the impact of voting methodology changes over time.
