Awards Record

Sport (association football)

Ballon d'Or: winners and how it is awarded

The Ballon d'Or was first awarded by the French magazine France Football in 1956. Reuters lists the 2020 award as cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Clubs shown are as listed by NBC Sports.1,2

Awarded byFrance Football (co organised with UEFA since 2024)
Established1956
FrequencyAnnual
Prize valueTrophy. No cash prize stated in fetched sources (as of 27 October 2026)

How the winner is chosen

Since 2022 an international jury of specialist journalists votes, with one representative for each of the top 100 nations in the latest FIFA men's world ranking. Jurors weigh individual performance, team performance and achievements, and class and fair play. France Football keeps control of the voting system and the Ballon d'Or name.

Winners

  1. 2026Harry Kane1,2Men's Ballon d'Or, playing for Bayern Munich. Ceremony held in London on 26 October 2026
  2. 2025Ousmane Dembélé (France)1,2Men's Ballon d'Or, playing for Paris Saint-Germain
  3. 2024Rodri (Spain)1,2Men's Ballon d'Or, playing for Manchester City
  4. 2023Lionel Messi (Argentina)1,2Men's Ballon d'Or, playing for Inter Miami
  5. 2022Karim Benzema (France)1,2Men's Ballon d'Or, playing for Real Madrid
  6. 2021Lionel Messi (Argentina)1,2Men's Ballon d'Or, playing for Paris Saint-Germain
  7. 2019Lionel Messi (Argentina)1,2Men's Ballon d'Or, playing for Barcelona
  8. 2018Luka Modrić (Croatia)1,2Men's Ballon d'Or, playing for Real Madrid
  9. 2017Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)1,2Men's Ballon d'Or, playing for Real Madrid
  10. 2016Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)1,2Men's Ballon d'Or, playing for Real Madrid
  11. 2015Lionel Messi (Argentina)1,2Men's Ballon d'Or, playing for Barcelona
  12. 2014Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)1,2Men's Ballon d'Or, playing for Real Madrid

Not awarded in: {'year': 2020, 'note': 'Award cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic', 'sources': ['rtbo', 'nbcbo']}.

Notable facts

NBC Sports says Lionel Messi has won the award eight times, the most of any player, most recently in 2023.2

The 2026 ceremony was held in London. NBC Sports reported that it was Harry Kane's first win.2

A women's Ballon d'Or has been awarded since 2018.3

Sources

  1. Reuters (via The Star), Factbox, Soccer, List of Ballon d'Or winners (26 October 2026)
  2. NBC Sports, Ballon d'Or men's winners, all time history (26 October 2026)
  3. Wikipedia, Ballon d'Or (27 October 2026)