Ballon d Or Winners A full list of the Ballon d Or winners and runners-up since 1956.

The Ballon d Or, meaning the golden ball was conceived by France Football magazine c hief editor Gabriel Hanot who asked his colleagues to vote for their best European player in 1956. Originally journalists could only vote for Europeans playing in Europe but a rul e change in 1995 meant that players from other continents could win the award, as long as they played for a European club. The pool of journalists allow ed to vote also increased to 96 around the world. Lionel Messi has won the award a record four times, with three players each havi ng claimed it on three occasions: Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, and Marco van Basten. In 2010 the Ballon d Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year were merged, with th e world s best player awarded the FIFA Ballon d Or. 1956 1st Stanley Matthews (English, Blackpool) 2nd Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentinean, Real Madrid) 3rd Raymond Kopa (French, Real Madrid) 1957 1st Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentinean, Real Madrid) 2nd Billy Wright (English, Wolverhampton Wanderers) 3rd= Duncan Edwards (English, Manchester United) 3rd= Raymond Kopa (French, Real Madrid) 1958 1st Raymond Kopa (French, Real Madrid) 2nd Helmut Rahn (West German, Rot-Weiss Essen) 3rd Just Fontaine (French, Stade Reims) 1959 1st Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentinean, Real Madrid) 2nd Raymond Kopa (French, Real Madrid) 3rd John Charles (Welsh, Juventus) 1960 1st Luis Suarez (Spanish, Barcelona) 2nd Ferenc Puskas (Hungarian, Real Madrid) 3rd Uwe Seeler (West German, Hamburg) 1961 1st Omar Sivori (Argentinean, Juventus) 2nd Luis Suarez (Spanish, Inter Milan) 3rd Johnny Haynes (English, Fulham) 1962 1st Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakian, Dukla Prague) 2nd Eusebio (Portuguese, Benfica) 3rd Karl-Heinz Schnellinger (West German, Koln) 1963 1st Lev Yashin (Soviet Union, Dynamo Moscow) 2nd Gianni Rivera (Italian, AC Milan) 3rd Jimmy Greaves (English, Tottenham Hotspur)

1964 1st Denis Law (Scottish, Manchester United) 2nd Luis Suarez (Spanish, Inter Milan) 3rd Amancio (Spanish, Real Madrid) 1965 1st Eusebio (Portuguese, Benfica) 2nd Giacinto Facchetti (Italian, Inter Milan) 3rd Luis Suarez (Spanish, Real Madrid) 1966 1st Bobby Charlton (English, Manchester United) 2nd Eusebio (Portuguese, Benfica) 3rd Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich) 1967 1st Florian Albert (Hungarian, Ferencvros) 2nd Bobby Charlton (English, Manchester United) 3rd Jimmy Johnstone (Scottish, Celtic) 1968 1st George Best (Irish, Manchester United) 2nd Bobby Charlton (English, Manchester United) 3rd Dragan D ajic (Yugoslavian, Red Star Belgrade) 1969 1st Gianni Rivera (Italian, AC Milan) 2nd Luigi Riva (Italian, Cagliari) 3rd Gerd Muller (West German, Bayern Munich) 1970 1st Gerd Muller (West German, Bayern Munich) 2nd Bobby Moore (English, West Ham United) 3rd Luigi Riva (Italian, Cagliari) 1971 1st Johan Cruyff (Dutch, Ajax) 2nd Sandro Mazzola (Italian, Inter Milan) 3rd George Best (Irish, Manchester United) 1972 1st Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich) 2nd Gerd Muller (West German, Bayern Munich) 3rd Gunter Netzer (West German, Borussia Monchengladbach) 1973 1st Johan Cruyff (Dutch, Barcelona) 2nd Dino Zoff (Italian, Juventus) 3rd Gerd Muller (West German, Bayern Munic) 1974 1st Johan Cruyff (Dutch, Barcelona) 2nd Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich) 3rd Kazimierz Deyna (Polish, Legia Warsaw) 1975 1st Oleg Blokhin (Soviet Union, Dynamo Kiev) 2nd Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich) 3rd Johan Cruyff (Dutch, Barcelona)

1976 1st Franz Beckenbauer (West German, Bayern Munich) 2nd Rob Rensenbrink (Dutch, Anderlecht) 3rd Ivo Viktor (Czechoslovakian, Dukla Prague) 1977 1st Allan Simonsen (Danish, Borussia Monchengladbach) 2nd Kevin Keegan (English, Hamburg) 3rd Michel Platini (French, Nancy) 1978 1st Kevin Keegan (English, Hamburg) 2nd Hans Krankl (Austrian, Barcelona) 3rd Rob Rensenbrink (Dutch, Anderlecht) 1979 1st Kevin Keegan (English, Hamburg) 2nd Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West German, Bayern Munich) 3rd Ruud Krol (Dutch, Ajax) 1980 1st Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West German, Bayern Munich) 2nd Bernd Schuster (West German, Real Madrid) 3rd Michel Platini (French, Saint-Etienne) 1981 1st Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West German, Bayern Munich) 2nd Paul Breitner (West German, Bayern Munich) 3rd Bernd Schuster (West German, Barcelona) 1982 1st Paolo Rossi (Italian, Juventus) 2nd Alain Giresse (French, Bordeaux) 3rd Zbigniew Boniek (Polish, Juventus) 1983 1st Michel Platini (French, Juventus) 2nd Kenny Dalglish (Scottish, Liverpool) 3rd Allan Simonsen (Danish, Vejle) 1984 1st Michel Platini (French, Juventus) 2nd Jean Tigana (French, Bordeaux) 3rd Preben Elkjr (Danish, Verona) 1985 1st Michel Platini (French, Juventus) 2nd Preben Elkjr (Danish, Verona) 3rd Bernd Schuster (West German, Barcelona) 1986 1st Igor Belanov (Soviet Union, Dynamo Kyiv) 2nd Gary Lineker (English, Barcelona) 3rd Emilio Butragueo (Spanish, Real Madrid) 1987 1st Ruud Gullit (Dutch, AC Milan) 2nd Paulo Futre (Portuguese, Atletico Madrid) 3rd Emilio Butragueo (Spanish, Real Madrid)

1988 1st Marco van Basten (Dutch, AC Milan) 2nd Ruud Gullit (Dutch, AC Milan) 3rd Frank Rijkaard (Dutch, AC Milan) 1989 1st Marco van Basten (Dutch, AC Milan) 2nd Franco Baresi (Italian, Milan) 3rd Frank Rijkaard (Dutch, Milan) 1990 1st Lothar Matthaus (German, Inter Milan) 2nd Salvatore Schillaci (Italian, Juventus) 3rd Andreas Brehme (German, Inter Milan) 1991 1st Jean-Pierre Papin (French, Marseille) 2nd= Dejan Savicevic (Yugoslavian, Red Star Belgrade) 2nd= Darko Pancev (Yugoslavian, Red Star Belgrade) 2nd= Lothar Matthaus (German, Bayern Munich) 1992 1st Marco van Basten (Dutch, AC Milan) 2nd Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgarian, Barcelona) 3rd Dennis Bergkamp (Dutch, Ajax) 1993 1st Roberto Baggio (Italian, Juventus) 2nd Dennis Bergkamp (Dutch, Inter Milan) 3rd Eric Cantona (French, Manchester United) 1994 1st Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgarian, Barcelona) 2nd Roberto Baggio (Italian, Juventus) 3rd Paolo Maldini (Italian, AC Milan) 1995 1st George Weah (Liberian, AC Milan) 2nd Jurgen Klinsmann (German, Bayern Munich) 3rd Jari Litmanen (Finnish, Ajax) 1996 1st Matthias Sammer (German, Borussia Dortmund) 2nd Ronaldo (Brazilian, Barcelona) 3rd Alan Shearer (English, Newcastle United) 1997 1st Ronaldo (Brazilian, Inter Milan) 2nd Predrag Mijatovic (Yugoslavian, Real Madrid) 3rd Zinedine Zidane (French, Juventus) 1998 1st Zinedine Zidane (French, Juventus) 2nd Davor Suker (Croatian, Real Madrid) 3rd Ronaldo (Brazilian, Inter Milan) 1999 1st Rivaldo (Brazilian, Barcelona) 2nd David Beckham (English, Manchester United)

3rd Andriy Shevchenko (Ukrainian, AC Milan) 2000 1st Luis Figo (Portuguese, Real Madrid) 2nd Zinedine Zidane (French, Real Madrid) 3rd Andriy Shevchenko (Ukrainian, AC Milan) 2001 1st Michael Owen (English, Liverpool) 2nd Raul (Spanish, Real Madrid) 3rd Oliver Kahn (German, Bayern Munich) 2002 1st Ronaldo (Brazilian, Real Madrid) 2nd Roberto Carlos (Brazilian, Real Madrid) 3rd Oliver Kahn (German, Bayern Munich) 2003 1st Pavel Nedved (Czech, Juventus) 2nd Thierry Henry (French, Arsenal) 3rd Paolo Maldini (Italian, AC Milan) 2004 1st Andriy Shevchenko (Ukrainian, AC Milan) 2nd Deco (Portuguese, Barcelona) 3rd Ronaldinho (Brazilian, Barcelona) 2005 1st Ronaldinho (Brazilian, Barcelona) 2nd Frank Lampard (English, Chelsea) 3rd Steven Gerrard (English, Liverpool) 2006 1st Fabio Cannavaro (Italian, Real Madrid) 2nd Gianluigi Buffon (Italian, Juventus) 3rd Thierry Henry (French, Arsenal) 2007 1st Kaka (Brazilian, AC Milan) 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Manchester United) 3rd Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona) 2008 1st Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Manchester United) 2nd Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona) 3rd Fernando Torres (Spanish, Liverpool) 2009 1st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona) 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid) 3rd Xavi Hernandez (Spanish, Barcelona) FIFA Ballon d'Or 2010 1st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona) 2nd Andres Iniesta (Spanish, Barcelona) 3rd Xavi Hernandez (Spanish, Barcelona) 2011

1st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona) 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid) 3rd Xavi Hernandez (Spanish, Barcelona) 2012 1st Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona) 2nd Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid) 3rd Andres Iniesta (Spanish, Barcelona) 2013: 1st Cristiano Ronaldo (Portuguese, Real Madrid) 2nd Lionel Messi (Argentinean, Barcelona) 3rd Franck Ribery (French, Bayern Munich)