Real Madrid players have won 12 Ballon d’Or awards across eight different players through 2025, using the club each player represented when the award was presented. Cristiano Ronaldo accounts for four of those wins, while Alfredo Di Stéfano won twice.
The count uses one rule. An award belongs to the club a player represented when the Ballon d’Or was presented, not to every club he played for.
The 2020 award was cancelled and is not counted. Below is the full year-by-year list, followed by a profile of each winner.
Real Madrid Ballon d’Or Winners List
| Year | Player | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain |
| 1958 | Raymond Kopa | France |
| 1959 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Argentina |
| 2000 | Luís Figo | Portugal |
| 2002 | Ronaldo Nazário | Brazil |
| 2006 | Fabio Cannavaro | Italy |
| 2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal |
| 2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal |
| 2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal |
| 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal |
| 2018 | Luka Modrić | Croatia |
| 2022 | Karim Benzema | France |
Several famous Ballon d’Or winners associated with Real Madrid are excluded under this method.
Cristiano Ronaldo won in 2008 while representing Manchester United, Ronaldo Nazário won in 1997 while at Inter Milan, and Zinédine Zidane won in 1998 while representing Juventus.
For the full award history, see the Ballon d’Or winners list.
How Many Ballon d’Or Winners Has Real Madrid Had?
Real Madrid players have won 12 Ballon d’Or editions, but only eight different individual winners. The distinction matters because some players collected more than one award while at the club.
The eight players are Alfredo Di Stéfano, Raymond Kopa, Luís Figo, Ronaldo Nazário, Fabio Cannavaro, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modrić and Karim Benzema.
The gap between 12 and eight comes from repeat winners. Di Stéfano won twice and Cristiano Ronaldo won four times. Every other player on the list won once.
Real Madrid Players Who Won the Ballon d’Or
Alfredo Di Stéfano (1957, 1959)
Alfredo Di Stéfano won the Ballon d’Or in 1957 and 1959, during Real Madrid’s run of five consecutive European Cup titles from 1956 to 1960.
Born in Argentina, Di Stéfano later became a Spanish citizen. His influence stretched beyond goals: he helped drive Madrid’s attacks, linked midfield with the forward line and set the standard for the team’s dominant European era.
His two victories bookended Raymond Kopa’s 1958 award, giving Real Madrid three Ballon d’Or-winning editions in a row.
Raymond Kopa — 1958
Kopa won in 1958 and became the first Frenchman to take the award. He had joined Madrid from Reims in 1956.
He won three European Cups with the club, in 1957, 1958 and 1959. He also helped France reach the semi-finals of the 1958 World Cup, where they finished third.
He returned to Reims in 1959, so his Real Madrid spell was short but decorated.
Luís Figo — 2000
Figo received the 2000 Ballon d’Or after his high-profile move from Barcelona to Real Madrid earlier that summer. The Portuguese winger was already at the Bernabéu when the award was presented in December.
He had starred for Portugal at Euro 2000, where they reached the semi-finals. He was Madrid’s first major signing of the Galácticos era under Florentino Pérez.
Because the award was presented while he was a Madrid player, it is credited to Real Madrid here. His time at Barcelona is why some readers expect him on the other list.
Ronaldo Nazário — 2002
Ronaldo Nazário won the 2002 Ballon d’Or after helping Brazil lift the World Cup in Japan and South Korea. He finished as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals, including both goals in the final against Germany, before joining Real Madrid from Inter Milan that summer.
The award recognised his return to the top after serious knee injuries. It was his second Ballon d’Or, following his 1997 victory while representing Inter Milan.
Fabio Cannavaro — 2006
Cannavaro won in 2006 as captain of the Italy side that won the World Cup. Italy conceded only two goals in the tournament.
Cannavaro moved from Juventus to Real Madrid in the summer of 2006, after Italy won the World Cup. He became the first defender to win the Ballon d’Or since Germany’s Matthias Sammer in 1996.
The award recognised a defender’s influence in a World Cup-winning team, which is rare in a competition that usually rewards attackers.
Cristiano Ronaldo — 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017
Cristiano Ronaldo has four qualifying awards for Real Madrid, more than any other player. They came in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
The 2014 award followed the club’s long-awaited tenth European Cup, and he scored 17 goals in that Champions League campaign. That figure was a tournament record at the time.
In 2016 he added the Champions League and Euro 2016 with Portugal. In 2017 Madrid won both the Champions League and La Liga.
He left for Juventus in 2018 as the club’s all-time record goalscorer. His 2008 award is not credited to Madrid, because he was at Manchester United then.
See Ballon d’Or records for how his total compares across history.
Luka Modrić — 2018
Luka Modrić won the 2018 Ballon d’Or, ending a run in which Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had shared every award since 2008.
The Croatian midfielder helped Real Madrid win a third consecutive Champions League title in 2018 and then led Croatia to the World Cup final, where they finished runners-up to France.
Modrić became the first Croatian to win the Ballon d’Or. He had joined Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012.
Karim Benzema — 2022
Benzema won in 2022 after Real Madrid took both La Liga and the Champions League in 2021-22. He was the first French winner since Zidane in 1998.
His Champions League run included hat-tricks against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in the knockout rounds. Several of those goals came in comebacks.
At 34, Benzema became the oldest Ballon d’Or winner since Stanley Matthews received the inaugural award in 1956.
His victory came 13 years after he joined Real Madrid in 2009, having spent much of his early time at the club playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
Which Real Madrid Player Won the Most Ballon d’Or Awards?
Cristiano Ronaldo leads the Real Madrid list with four qualifying awards. They came in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
That is different from his career total of five Ballon d’Or wins. His fifth, in 2008, came while he was at Manchester United.
Di Stéfano won twice for Real Madrid. The other qualifying players each won once for the club.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Ballon d’Or Wins
Using the same method, both clubs have 12 winning editions through 2025. The difference is in how many players share them.
Barcelona’s 12 awards were shared by six players, while Real Madrid’s were shared by eight. Messi’s wins account for much of Barcelona’s total.
This is one way to count the awards, rather than the only possible method. Read our Barcelona Ballon d’Or winners article or explore the wider ranking of clubs with the most Ballon d’Or wins.
Why Some Ballon d’Or Winners Are Not Counted for Real Madrid
Some players with Real Madrid careers do not appear in the table. The reason is the counting method, which credits an award to the club a player represented when it was presented.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2008 award was won at Manchester United. Ronaldo Nazário’s 1997 award was won at Inter Milan. Zidane’s 1998 award was won at Juventus.
This does not mean they were never Real Madrid players. It is a consistent editorial rule that keeps every club total comparable.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Ballon d’Or awards has Real Madrid won?
Real Madrid players have won 12 Ballon d’Or editions through 2025, counting each award for the club the player represented when it was presented.
How many different Real Madrid players have won the Ballon d’Or?
Eight different players have won it as Real Madrid players: Di Stéfano, Kopa, Figo, Ronaldo Nazário, Cannavaro, Cristiano Ronaldo, Modrić and Benzema.
Which Real Madrid player has won the most Ballon d’Or awards?
Cristiano Ronaldo, with four qualifying awards for Real Madrid in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Did Cristiano Ronaldo win the Ballon d’Or with Real Madrid?
Yes. He won four times as a Real Madrid player, in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Did Luka Modrić win the Ballon d’Or as a Real Madrid player?
Yes. He won the 2018 award as a Real Madrid player.
When did Karim Benzema win the Ballon d’Or?
Benzema won the Ballon d’Or in 2022, as a Real Madrid player.
Does Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2008 Ballon d’Or count toward Real Madrid’s total?
No. He won the 2008 award while at Manchester United, so it is not credited to Real Madrid.
Conclusion
Real Madrid’s Ballon d’Or record stands at 12 winning editions and eight individual winners through 2025.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s four awards form the largest single contribution, followed by Di Stéfano’s two.
The full chronology runs from Di Stéfano in the late 1950s to Benzema in 2022. For the complete history of the award, see the Ballon d’Or winners list.
