Ballon d'Or Nationalities
Which country did the winner of the men's Ballon d'Or come from? Here is a list of the number of winners of the Ballon d'Or by country. This list is swayed towards European countries as from 1956 until 1994 only European players were eligible to win the award. Between 1995 and 2006 players from around the world were eligible, though only if they were active at European clubs during that year. Since 2007, players from any country are eligible to win.
Despite the bias towards European countries, the South American country of Argentina is on top of this list. And that is wholly because of one man. Argentine Lionel Messi has won the men's Ballon d'Or award a record eight times. Consequently, Argentina has provided the most winners, with Messi accounting for all of their wins. The tally for Argentina may well be eleven with two other winners coming from Argentina. Two-time winner Alfredo Di Stéfano was born in Argentina and played for their national team before moving to Spain, becoming a Spanish citizen in 1956 the year before first winning the award. Also 1961 winner Omar Sívori was born in Argentina and played for the national team, though became an Italian citizen before winning his award.
Other than Argentina, the most successful nations France, Germany, Netherlands, and Portugal, with seven wins each. The countries providing the most number of individual winners are France, Germany and Italy, with five Ballon d'Or winners from each of those countries. Twenty countries have had at least one player be awarded the prize.
Three Ukrainian players have won the Ballon d'Or: Andriy Shevchenko, Oleg Blokhin, and Igor Belanov, though Blokhin and Belanov were at that time Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union and are counted under that country, officially leaving only one Ukrainian winner.
2003 winner Pavel Nedvěd is officially the first and only Czech player to win the Ballon d'Or, though the 1962 winner Josef Masopust was born in Czechoslovakia, in an area which is now part of the Czech Republic.
The 1965 winner Eusébio was born in Mozambique, but at that time it was a colony of Portugal.
List of Winners by Country (including 2024)
| Country | Winners | Different Players | Players |
|---|---|---|---|
Argentina |
8 | 1 | Lionel Messi (8) |
France |
7 | 5 | Michel Platini (3), Raymond Kopa, Zinedine Zidane, Jean Pierre-Papin, Karim Benzema |
Germany |
7 | 5 | Franz Beckenbauer (2), Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (2), Gerd Muller, Lothar Matthaus, Matthias Sammer |
Netherlands |
7 | 3 | Johan Cruyff (3), Marco van Basten (3), Ruud Gullit |
Portugal |
7 | 3 | Cristiano Ronaldo (5), Eusebio, Luis Figo |
Italy |
5 | 5 | Gianni Rivera, Roberto Baggio, Paolo Rossi, Omar Sivori, Fabio Cannavaro |
Brazil |
5 | 4 | Ronaldo (2), Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Kaka |
England |
5 | 4 | Kevin Keegan (2), Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Stanley Matthews, Michael Owen |
Spain |
4 | 3 | Alfredo Di Stefano (2), Luis Suarez, Rodri |
Soviet Union |
3 | 3 | Lev Yashin, Oleg Blokhin, Igor Belanov |
Czech Republic |
1 | 1 | Pavel Nedved |
| Czechoslovakia | 1 | 1 | Josef Masopust |
Bulgaria |
1 | 1 | Hristo Stoichkov |
Croatia |
1 | 1 | Luka Modric |
Denmark |
1 | 1 | Allan Simonsen |
Liberia |
1 | 1 | George Weah |
Northern Ireland |
1 | 1 | George Best |
Hungary |
1 | 1 | Florian Albert |
Scotland |
1 | 1 | Denis Law |
Ukraine |
1 | 1 | Andriy Shevchenko |
First Time Winners
Here is a list of the first winner from each country that has produced a Ballon d'Or winner, sorted by years.
| Year | Country | First Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Croatia | Luka Modric |
| 2009 | Argentina | Lionel Messi |
| 2004 | Ukraine | Andriy Shevchenko |
| 2003 | Czech Republic | Pavel Nedvěd |
| 1997 | Brazil | Ronaldo |
| 1995 | Liberia | George Weah |
| 1994 | Bulgaria | Hristo Stoichkov |
| 1977 | Denmark | Allan Simonsen |
| 1971 | Netherlands | Johan Cruyff |
| 1970 | Germany | Gerd Müller |
| 1968 | Northern Ireland | George Best |
| 1967 | Hungary | Flórián Albert |
| 1965 | Portugal | Eusébio |
| 1964 | Scotland | Denis Law |
| 1963 | Soviet Union | Lev Yashin |
| 1962 | Czechoslovakia | Josef Masopust |
| 1961 | Italy | Omar Sívori |
| 1958 | France | Raymond Kopa |
| 1957 | Spain | Alfredo Di Stéfano |
| 1956 | England | Stanley Matthews |
Related Pages
- Ballon d'Or Winners by Club
- Ballon d'Or winners by playing position
- Ballon d'Or Home
- Ballon d'Or History
- Ballon d'Or Trivia
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Upcoming Events