Ballon d’Or 2026 Ranking: Football’s Greatest Individual Prize

Ballon d’Or 2026 Ranking: The Ballon d’Or means “Golden Ball” in French. It is the most prestigious individual award in world football. France Football magazine has presented it every year since 1956.

The Origins

Two French sports journalists created the award. Their names were Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran. They wanted the press to decide who the best player in the world was.

For its first four decades, only European players could win it. That rule changed in 1995. From that point, any player at a European club became eligible.

In 2007, the rules opened fully. Any professional footballer anywhere in the world became eligible.

How the Rules Have Changed

The award has passed through several clear phases:

• 1956 to 2009: Football journalists voted. European players only until 1995
• 2007: Global eligibility introduced. National team coaches and captains also voted
• 2010 to 2015: The award merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year. It became the FIFA Ballon d’Or
• 2016: The FIFA partnership ended. France Football took full control again
• 2022: Voting shifted from calendar year to football season. Panel limited to one journalist per top-100 FIFA-ranked nation
• 2024: UEFA joined as co-organiser of the ceremony. France Football kept control of voting

How Voting Works

France Football and L’Equipe journalists build a shortlist of 30 nominees. One journalist from each of FIFA’s top 100 ranked nations then votes. Each voter picks a top 10 from the shortlist. Points are assigned like this:

Rank	Points
1st	15
2nd	12
3rd	10
4th	8
5th	7
6th	5
7th	4
8th	3
9th	2
10th	1

The player with the most total points wins. First-place votes act as a tiebreaker if scores are level.

What Judges Look For

Voters focus on three things:

1. Individual performance: Goals, assists, impact and decisive moments
2. Team achievements: Titles won, deep cup runs and collective success
3. Class and fair play: Sportsmanship and conduct on and off the pitch

Critics have called it a popularity contest at times. The award has historically favoured attacking players. Some also question whether one person should be singled out in a team sport.

The 2025 Winner: Ousmane Dembélé

Ousmane Dembélé won the 69th Ballon d’Or on 22 September 2025. He plays for Paris Saint-Germain and represents France. It was his first career win.

His 2024/25 season was outstanding. PSG won the UEFA Champions League for the first time ever. Dembélé scored 8 goals and added 6 assists in that competition alone.

The top three in 2025 looked like this:

Rank	Player	Club	Points
1st	🇫🇷 Ousmane Dembélé	Paris Saint-Germain	1,380
2nd	🇪🇸 Lamine Yamal	Barcelona	1,059
3rd	🇵🇹 Vitinha	Paris Saint-Germain	703

All-Time Winners

1956 to 2009

Year	Winner	Club	Points
1956	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Stanley Matthews	Blackpool	47
1957	🇪🇸 Alfredo Di Stéfano (1)	Real Madrid	72
1958	🇫🇷 Raymond Kopa	Real Madrid	71
1959	🇪🇸 Alfredo Di Stéfano (2)	Real Madrid	80
1960	🇪🇸 Luis Suárez	Barcelona	54
1961	🇮🇹 Omar Sívori	Juventus	46
1962	🇨🇿 Josef Masopust	Dukla Prague	65
1963	🇷🇺 Lev Yashin	Dynamo Moscow	73
1964	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Denis Law	Manchester United	61
1965	🇵🇹 Eusébio	Benfica	67
1966	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Bobby Charlton	Manchester United	81
1967	🇭🇺 Flórián Albert	Ferencváros	68
1968	🇬🇧 George Best	Manchester United	61
1969	🇮🇹 Gianni Rivera	AC Milan	83
1970	🇩🇪 Gerd Müller	Bayern Munich	77
1971	🇳🇱 Johan Cruyff (1)	Ajax	116
1972	🇩🇪 Franz Beckenbauer (1)	Bayern Munich	81
1973	🇳🇱 Johan Cruyff (2)	Barcelona	96
1974	🇳🇱 Johan Cruyff (3)	Barcelona	116
1975	🇷🇺 Oleg Blokhin	Dynamo Kyiv	122
1976	🇩🇪 Franz Beckenbauer (2)	Bayern Munich	91
1977	🇩🇰 Allan Simonsen	Borussia M’gladbach	74
1978	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Kevin Keegan (1)	Hamburger SV	87
1979	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Kevin Keegan (2)	Hamburger SV	118
1980	🇩🇪 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1)	Bayern Munich	122
1981	🇩🇪 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (2)	Bayern Munich	106
1982	🇮🇹 Paolo Rossi	Juventus	115
1983	🇫🇷 Michel Platini (1)	Juventus	110
1984	🇫🇷 Michel Platini (2)	Juventus	110
1985	🇫🇷 Michel Platini (3)	Juventus	127
1986	🇷🇺 Igor Belanov	Dynamo Kyiv	84
1987	🇳🇱 Ruud Gullit	AC Milan	106
1988	🇳🇱 Marco van Basten (1)	AC Milan	129
1989	🇳🇱 Marco van Basten (2)	AC Milan	129
1990	🇩🇪 Lothar Matthäus	Inter Milan	137
1991	🇫🇷 Jean-Pierre Papin	Marseille	141
1992	🇳🇱 Marco van Basten (3)	AC Milan	98
1993	🇮🇹 Roberto Baggio	Juventus	142
1994	🇧🇬 Hristo Stoichkov	Barcelona	210
1995	🇱🇷 George Weah	AC Milan	144
1996	🇩🇪 Matthias Sammer	Borussia Dortmund	144
1997	🇧🇷 Ronaldo (1)	Inter Milan	222
1998	🇫🇷 Zinedine Zidane	Juventus	244
1999	🇧🇷 Rivaldo	Barcelona	219
2000	🇵🇹 Luís Figo	Real Madrid	197
2001	🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Michael Owen	Liverpool	176
2002	🇧🇷 Ronaldo (2)	Real Madrid	169
2003	🇨🇿 Pavel Nedvěd	Juventus	190
2004	🇺🇦 Andriy Shevchenko	AC Milan	175
2005	🇧🇷 Ronaldinho	Barcelona	225
2006	🇮🇹 Fabio Cannavaro	Real Madrid	173
2007	🇧🇷 Kaká	AC Milan	444
2008	🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo (1)	Manchester United	446
2009	🇦🇷 Lionel Messi (1)	Barcelona	473

FIFA Ballon d’Or Era (2010 to 2015)

Year	Winner	Club	Vote %
2010	🇦🇷 Lionel Messi (2)	Barcelona	22.65%
2011	🇦🇷 Lionel Messi (3)	Barcelona	47.88%
2012	🇦🇷 Lionel Messi (4)	Barcelona	41.60%
2013	🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo (2)	Real Madrid	27.99%
2014	🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo (3)	Real Madrid	37.66%
2015	🇦🇷 Lionel Messi (5)	Barcelona	41.33%

Modern Era (2016 to Present)

Year	Winner	Club	Points
2016	🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo (4)	Real Madrid	745
2017	🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo (5)	Real Madrid	946
2018	🇭🇷 Luka Modrić	Real Madrid	753
2019	🇦🇷 Lionel Messi (6)	Barcelona	686
2020	Not awarded	COVID-19 pandemic	N/A
2021	🇦🇷 Lionel Messi (7)	Paris Saint-Germain	613
2022	🇫🇷 Karim Benzema	Real Madrid	549
2023	🇦🇷 Lionel Messi (8)	Inter Miami	462
2024	🇪🇸 Rodri	Manchester City	1,170
2025	🇫🇷 Ousmane Dembélé	Paris Saint-Germain	1,380

The Record Holders

Lionel Messi has won it eight times. Nobody else comes close. He is the only player to win it at three different clubs. He is also the only winner while playing outside Europe, having won in 2023 with Inter Miami. He finished in the top three 14 times total, including 11 consecutive podium finishes from 2007 to 2017.

Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for most nominations with 18. He won five times and finished second on six occasions.

Other notable records:

• Oldest winner: Stanley Matthews, aged 41 years and 321 days in 1956
• Youngest winner: Ronaldo of Brazil, aged 21 years and 96 days in 1997
• Only goalkeeper to win: Lev Yashin in 1963
• Only defender to win twice: Franz Beckenbauer in 1972 and 1976
• Only African winner: George Weah of Liberia in 1995
• First non-European winner: George Weah in 1995
• First South American winner: Ronaldo of Brazil in 1997
• Three consecutive wins: Michel Platini from 1983 to 1985
• First midfielder to win: Luis Suárez of Spain in 1960

Wins by Country

Country	Players	Total Wins
🇫🇷 France	6	8
🇦🇷 Argentina	1	8
🇩🇪 Germany	5	7
🇳🇱 Netherlands	3	7
🇵🇹 Portugal	3	7
🇮🇹 Italy	5	5
🇧🇷 Brazil	4	5
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England	4	5
🇪🇸 Spain	3	4
🇷🇺 Soviet Union	3	3

Wins by Club

Real Madrid and Barcelona share the top spot. Both clubs have produced 12 Ballon d’Or winners each. Spain’s La Liga holds more Ballon d’Or titles than any other league in history.

Club	Players	Total Wins
🇪🇸 Real Madrid	8	12
🇪🇸 Barcelona	6	12
🇮🇹 Juventus	6	8
🇮🇹 AC Milan	6	8
🇩🇪 Bayern Munich	3	5
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Manchester United	4	4
🇫🇷 Paris Saint-Germain	2	2
🇺🇦 Dynamo Kyiv	2	2
🇮🇹 Inter Milan	2	2
🇩🇪 Hamburger SV	1	2

Other Awards at the Gala

France Football expanded the event over the years. Several extra trophies are now given out on the same night:

Award	Since	What It Recognises
Ballon d’Or Féminin	2018	Best female player of the season
Kopa Trophy	2018	Best player under 21
Yashin Trophy	2019	Best goalkeeper of the season
Gerd Müller Trophy	2021	Top scorer across all competitions
Club of the Year	2021	Best performing club
Sócrates Award	2022	Humanitarian work off the pitch
Johan Cruyff Trophy	2024	Best coach of the season

Aitana Bonmatí won the women’s award three consecutive times from 2023 to 2025. That is an all-time record in the women’s category.

Special Honorary Awards

Super Ballon d’Or

France Football gave this out just once. Alfredo Di Stéfano received it in 1989. A vote among multiple-time winners placed him above Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini as the greatest ever.

Golden Ballon d’Or

Diego Maradona received this special honour in 1995. It recognised his lifetime contribution to football.

FIFA Ballon d’Or Prix d’Honneur

Pelé received this at the 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or ceremony. It was a tribute to his unmatched legacy in the game.

Football Player of the Century (1999)

France Football asked former winners to vote for the greatest player of the 20th century. Thirty voters took part. Pelé was named first by 17 of them.

Player	Points	1st Place Votes
🇧🇷 Pelé	122	17
🇦🇷 Diego Maradona	65	3
🇳🇱 Johan Cruyff	62	1
🇪🇸 Alfredo Di Stéfano	44	4
🇫🇷 Michel Platini	40	1

The Revised History: Le Nouveau Palmarès

In 2016, France Football marked the award’s 60th anniversary with a special project. They recalculated pre-1995 results as if South American players had always been eligible. Pelé would have won seven more trophies. The original winners remain official. This list is purely historical.

Year	Official Winner	Would Have Won
1958	Raymond Kopa	🇧🇷 Pelé
1959	Alfredo Di Stéfano	🇧🇷 Pelé
1960	Luis Suárez	🇧🇷 Pelé
1961	Omar Sívori	🇧🇷 Pelé
1962	Josef Masopust	🇧🇷 Garrincha
1963	Lev Yashin	🇧🇷 Pelé
1964	Denis Law	🇧🇷 Pelé
1970	Gerd Müller	🇧🇷 Pelé
1978	Kevin Keegan	🇦🇷 Mario Kempes
1986	Igor Belanov	🇦🇷 Diego Maradona
1990	Lothar Matthäus	🇦🇷 Diego Maradona
1994	Hristo Stoichkov	🇧🇷 Romário

The Ballon d’Or Dream Team

France Football published an all-time best XI in December 2020. The full first team:

Position	Player
GK	🇷🇺 Lev Yashin
RB	🇧🇷 Cafu
CB	🇩🇪 Franz Beckenbauer
LB	🇮🇹 Paolo Maldini
CM	🇪🇸 Xavi
CM	🇩🇪 Lothar Matthäus
AM	🇦🇷 Diego Maradona
AM	🇧🇷 Pelé
FW	🇦🇷 Lionel Messi
FW	🇧🇷 Ronaldo
FW	🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo

Ballon d’Or 2026 Power Rankings: The Golden Ball Race Has Never Been This Exciting

The 2026 Ballon d’Or race is the most unpredictable in years. Five different nations have realistic candidates. And with the World Cup coming this summer, everything is still to play for. Here is the top 10 contenders right now.

1. Ousmane Dembélé, Paris Saint-Germain

Dembélé is the defending champion. He won the 69th Ballon d’Or on 22 September 2025. Now the question is simple. Can he do it again?

The last player to retain the award was Lionel Messi in 2021. Repeating is the hardest thing in football. But Dembélé is making a very serious case.

He missed a big chunk of the early season with injury. Many wrote him off. They were wrong. He came back and produced moments of pure genius. His outrageous chip against Lille was instant Puskas Award material. He bagged two against Marseille in a 5-0 rout. Then came two goals away at Liverpool and a hat-trick of sorts against Bayern in the Champions League semi-finals.

When Dembélé is fit and confident, he is the most unplayable winger in Europe. Full stop.

Dembélé’s 2025/26 stats:

Games	Goals	Assists
36	19	10

PSG are in the Champions League final. France are World Cup contenders. Both boxes are ticked.

2. Harry Kane, Bayern Munich

Some strikers score goals. Harry Kane is doing something entirely different. He is rewriting the record books in real time.

55 goals in 49 games. Read that number again. No striker in Europe comes close to that output this season. Kane became England’s all-time top scorer back in 2023. He bagged 213 goals for Tottenham before making the move to Germany. Now he has back-to-back Bundesliga titles on his CV.

He also became the fastest player this century to reach 100 club goals in a top-five European league. He did it in just 104 games. The speed of that achievement is barely believable.

Bayern exited the Champions League. That hurts. But if England win the 2026 World Cup, Kane will be impossible to ignore. He would become England’s first Ballon d’Or winner since Michael Owen in 2001. That would be a historic moment for English football.

Kane’s 2025/26 stats:

Games	Goals	Assists
49	55	7

3. Lamine Yamal, Barcelona

There is a phrase in football. “If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.” Yamal does not just meet that standard. He has shattered it completely.

He is 18 years old. He carries Barcelona every single week. He helped Spain win a European Championship at just 16. No teenager has ever won the Ballon d’Or. Yamal could genuinely be the first.

Barcelona’s Champions League exit was a blow. A hamstring injury has also ended his club season early. But here is the thing. That injury might actually help him. He arrives at the World Cup fully rested and ready to explode on the biggest stage of all. Spain are strong contenders and Yamal will be their heartbeat.

Yamal’s 2025/26 stats:

Games	Goals	Assists
45	24	18

Those numbers from a teenager are simply jaw-dropping. If he performs at the World Cup, the Golden Ball conversation will revolve around him.

4. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Paris Saint-Germain

Kvaratskhelia is the kind of player who makes supporters gasp. Every time he gets the ball in wide areas, something extraordinary feels possible.

He is a master in one-vs-one situations. Full-backs across Europe fear him. But he is far more than just a dribbler. He sees passes others cannot see. He finds space others cannot find.

He has over 25 goal contributions this season. PSG could win back-to-back Champions League titles. That would be a massive boost for his Ballon d’Or case. The one problem is simple and unfortunate. Georgia did not qualify for the World Cup. Kvaratskhelia will be watching from home this summer while his rivals play for major international glory. That absence may well cost him the trophy.

Kvaratskhelia’s 2025/26 stats:

Games	Goals	Assists
44	18	10

5. Declan Rice, Arsenal

Nobody questioned the £100 million fee after long. Rice made sure of that.

He is not just a midfielder. He is a complete footballer. He controls matches. He scores from set-pieces. He breaks up opposition attacks and then immediately drives forward. There is not a better all-action midfielder in world football right now.

Arsenal are pushing for the Premier League title. They are still alive in the Champions League too. If Rice can drag his club to a historic double and then inspire England at the World Cup, the Ballon d’Or podium becomes a very realistic destination. For a midfielder to win this award would be something special. Rice has every quality needed to do it.

Rice’s 2025/26 stats:

Games	Goals	Assists
52	5	11

6. Michael Olise, Bayern Munich

Olise has been the biggest positive surprise of the European season. Not many predicted this level of dominance.

He left the Premier League and quickly became the best playmaker on the continent. 30 assists in one season is a staggering number. Nobody else in Europe has produced that kind of creative output. Add 22 goals on top and you have a complete attacking player at the peak of his powers. He is only 24. This could be just the beginning.

Bayern fell short in the Champions League. That hurts his chances somewhat. But France are serious World Cup favourites. If Olise is the man who fires Les Bleus to the title, the Golden Ball conversation changes dramatically.

Olise’s 2025/26 stats:

Games	Goals	Assists
50	22	30

7. Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid

Mbappé at his best is unplayable. This season, he has been at his best more often than not.

41 goals in 41 games. A goal per game at Real Madrid is not a small achievement. La Liga is one of the most competitive leagues in the world. He won the European Golden Shoe last season with 31 goals in 34 league games. He is now building on that standard.

Real Madrid look set for a trophyless season. For a club of their size, that is a major problem. It also weakens Mbappé’s case significantly. However, the World Cup changes everything. If France win it this summer, the award could come down to a fascinating three-way battle between Mbappé, Dembélé and Olise. Three Frenchmen fighting for one trophy. Football has never seen that before.

Mbappé’s 2025/26 stats:

Games	Goals	Assists
41	41	6

8. Erling Haaland, Manchester City

Haaland started the season like a freight train with no brakes. Then the goals dried up around New Year. Panic spread. It was short-lived.

He is back to his devastating best now. 37 goals from 50 games is still a phenomenal return. He scored the winner against Arsenal on April 19, a goal that could prove pivotal in the Premier League title race. He was also part of the City side that beat Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final on March 22.

The problem for Haaland is the same problem it has always been. Norway are not a football powerhouse. They are not going to win the World Cup. Without that international trophy boost, it is hard to see him leap above the frontrunners.

Haaland’s 2025/26 stats:

Games	Goals	Assists
50	37	8

9. Vitinha, Paris Saint-Germain

Third place at last year’s ceremony was no fluke. Vitinha has earned every vote he has ever received.

He is 26 years old. He is still improving. At PSG, he and João Neves run the midfield like a well-oiled machine. His passing range, pressing intensity and technical quality are all elite-level. He makes the game look effortless even when it is not.

Portugal are dark horses at the World Cup. If they go deep in the tournament and Vitinha drives them forward, his name will rise up the Ballon d’Or rankings fast.

Vitinha’s 2025/26 stats:

Games	Goals	Assists
47	7	10

10. Luis Díaz, Bayern Munich

Liverpool let him go. Bayern snapped him up. Anfield is still feeling the consequences.

Díaz has been outstanding in Germany. 26 goals and 21 assists from 49 games is the kind of contribution that wins league titles. He even scored three times against PSG at the Parc des Princes in the Champions League, which takes real nerve.

The case against him is straightforward. Bayern exited the Champions League. Colombia are not expected to win the World Cup. Without at least one major trophy this summer, it will be difficult for Díaz to break into the top five in the final vote. But his numbers deserve serious recognition regardless.

Díaz’s 2025/26 stats:

Games	Goals	Assists
49	26	21

The World Cup Will Decide Everything

This is the most open Ballon d’Or race in a very long time. No single player has already clinched the argument. The World Cup is the final chapter.

Strong nations like France, England, Spain and Portugal all have genuine contenders in this list. Whoever shines brightest on that global stage this summer will take a giant leap toward the Golden Ball.

The 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled for 26 October 2026. Between now and then, history is still being written.