What the Ballon d'Or is
The Ballon d'Or is an annual football award presented by France Football magazine to the player judged to have performed best over the previous season. First awarded in 1956, it is the sport's most recognised individual honour. The women's Ballon d'Or Féminin has been awarded since 2018; the Kopa Trophy for the best under-21 and the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper accompany the main prize.
How voting works
A panel of specialist football journalists — one from each of the top 100 countries in the FIFA world ranking — casts ranked ballots. Each voter picks 10 players in order; first place is worth 15 points, second 12, third 10, then 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Totals decide the winner.
Since 2022, the award recognises club-season performance running roughly August to July, aligning with the European season rather than the calendar year. That change removed the pre-July World Cup effect that had shaped several previous ceremonies.
The criteria
Voters are asked to consider three main factors: individual performances and decisive character over the season, team performances and trophies won, and class and fair play. In practice, trophies — particularly the Champions League — dominate voting outcomes; the great individual seasons of players on non-winning teams have historically been overlooked.
The record
Lionel Messi holds the record with eight Ballons d'Or between 2009 and 2023. Cristiano Ronaldo has five, Michel Platini three, and Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten and Rodri two apiece. Rodri's 2024 award — the first won by a defensive midfielder in decades — marked a genuine shift in how voters value positions historically overshadowed by attacking talent.
Ousmane Dembélé won the 2025 Ballon d'Or after leading PSG to their first Champions League title, becoming the first Frenchman to win since Karim Benzema in 2022.
Ballon d'Or Féminin
Ada Hegerberg won the inaugural women's award in 2018. Alexia Putellas has won it twice (2021 and 2022), Aitana Bonmatí has won it three consecutive times (2023 to 2025), reflecting Barcelona's dominance of the women's Champions League and Spain's rise to World Cup victors in 2023. The women's award follows the same voting mechanism as the men's, with a specialist panel.
The controversies
Almost every year produces a debate. Bayern Munich did not send anyone to the 2024 ceremony after Vinícius Júnior lost to Rodri. Messi's 2010 award was disputed because Andrés Iniesta and Xavi split the Spain vote after the World Cup. The 2019 award to Messi over Virgil van Dijk — decided by seven points — remains one of the closest in the modern era.
The underlying issue is unavoidable: an individual award for a team sport will always produce arguments about what 'best player' really means.
The other trophies
The Yashin Trophy, introduced in 2019, honours the best goalkeeper of the season. The Kopa Trophy, also introduced in 2018, recognises the best player under 21. The Sócrates Award, added in 2022, honours humanitarian achievement, and the Gerd Müller Trophy honours the season's top scorer.
How to read the shortlist
The 30-player shortlist published each September is the practical field of contenders. Bookmakers' odds tend to compress around the top three or four. Reading the shortlist alongside voter breakdowns — released after the ceremony — is the best way to understand how the modern game weighs Champions League success, international tournaments, and pure individual excellence.
Frequently asked questions
- Who has won the most Ballon d'Or awards?
- Lionel Messi, with eight, most recently in 2023. Cristiano Ronaldo is second with five.
- Who votes for the Ballon d'Or?
- A panel of specialist football journalists from the top 100 countries in the FIFA world ranking. Each voter submits a ranked ballot of 10 players.
- Who won the 2025 Ballon d'Or?
- Ousmane Dembélé won the 2025 Ballon d'Or after helping Paris Saint-Germain to their first UEFA Champions League title.