Ballon d’Or: Every Winner by Country
Lionel Messi’s eight awards are an individual record. At country level, Argentina shares the leading total with France—but their routes to eight could hardly be more different.
First awarded in 1956, the Ballon d’Or has become a benchmark for individual excellence in football. Generations of legendary players have lifted the trophy, with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominating much of its recent history.
Messi claimed his eighth award in 2023, while Ronaldo stands second on the individual list with five. Those two players alone account for 13 triumphs. Here is how the winners are distributed across countries, including the historical nations represented when the awards were won.
One win, a lasting place in history
Ten countries in this breakdown have one victory apiece. Their winners include a World Cup finalist, European Cup champions and the first African player to receive the men’s award.
| Country | Winner | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | Hristo Stoichkov | 1994 |
| Croatia | Luka Modrić | 2018 |
| Czechia | Pavel Nedvěd | 2003 |
| Czechoslovakia | Josef Masopust | 1962 |
| Denmark | Allan Simonsen | 1977 |
| Hungary | Flórián Albert | 1967 |
| Liberia | George Weah | 1995 |
| Northern Ireland | George Best | 1968 |
| Scotland | Denis Law | 1964 |
| Ukraine | Andriy Shevchenko | 2004 |
Stoichkov’s 1994 success followed Bulgaria’s run to the World Cup semifinals and a standout season with Barcelona. Modrić won in 2018 after another Champions League triumph with Real Madrid and Croatia’s journey to the World Cup final. Masopust also helped his country reach a World Cup final before receiving the award in 1962.
Simonsen starred for Borussia Mönchengladbach before his 1977 victory, while Albert’s outstanding campaign with Ferencváros brought him the prize in 1967. Weah made history for Liberia in 1995 as the first and only African winner of the men’s Ballon d’Or.
Best’s 1968 award came after helping Manchester United win the European Cup. His fellow United great Law had won four years earlier following a prolific season. Shevchenko earned Ukraine’s sole victory in 2004 after playing a starring role for AC Milan.
Soviet Union · 3 wins
The Soviet Union produced three winners before its dissolution in 1991. Lev Yashin became the first in 1963 and remains the only goalkeeper to win the award.
Oleg Blokhin followed in 1975, before Igor Belanov became the country’s final winner in 1986.
Spain · 4 wins
Spain’s four victories belong to three players. Alfredo Di Stéfano won twice, in 1957 and 1959, before Luis Suárez collected the prize in 1960.
More than six decades later, Rodri joined them in 2024 after helping Manchester City win the Premier League and playing a leading role in Spain’s European Championship success.
England · 6 wins
England’s story began with the award itself: Stanley Matthews was the inaugural winner in 1956. Bobby Charlton followed in 1966 after helping England win the World Cup, and Kevin Keegan added consecutive victories in 1978 and 1979.
Michael Owen became the second-youngest winner in 2001 after a standout campaign with Liverpool. England then waited 25 years for another recipient.
61 goals
Harry Kane’s extraordinary campaign earned England’s leading goalscorer the 2026 award, taking the country’s total to six.
Brazil and Italy: five wins each
Brazil
Ronaldo became Brazil’s first winner in 1997 after a spectacular season with Barcelona. Rivaldo followed in 1999, before Ronaldo claimed his second award in 2002 after helping Brazil win the World Cup.
Ronaldinho added another triumph in 2005. Kaká’s 2007 victory remains Brazil’s most recent, completing five wins shared by four players.
Italy
Italy’s five victories are spread across five players: Omar Sívori in 1961, Gianni Rivera in 1969, Paolo Rossi in 1982 and Roberto Baggio in 1993, followed by Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.
Cannavaro remains Italy’s latest winner. One of the few defenders to claim the prize, he received it after captaining Italy to World Cup glory.
Three countries on seven
Germany
Franz Beckenbauer and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge account for four of Germany’s seven awards. Beckenbauer won in 1972 and 1976; Rummenigge took consecutive prizes in 1980 and 1981.
Gerd Müller won in 1970, Lothar Matthäus in 1990 and Matthias Sammer in 1996. Matthäus’s success followed his role in West Germany’s World Cup victory.
Portugal
Three iconic forwards have delivered Portugal’s seven victories. Eusébio won in 1965, and Luís Figo became the country’s first winner of the 21st century in 2000.
Cristiano Ronaldo first collected the trophy in 2008. Four more awards—in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017—followed during his extraordinary rivalry with Messi.
Netherlands
Johan Cruyff’s victories in 1971, 1973 and 1974 established one half of the Netherlands’ remarkable double act. Marco van Basten matched his tally with wins in 1988, 1989 and 1992.
Ruud Gullit supplies the seventh Dutch award, having won in 1987 after a stellar season with AC Milan.
Eight apiece: France and Argentina
The highest total is shared by two countries. France’s eight trophies span six winners and several generations; Argentina’s all belong to one player.
France · Six different winners
Raymond Kopa opened France’s account in 1958. Michel Platini then won three consecutive awards from 1983 to 1985, providing the country’s only multiple winner in this tally.
Jean-Pierre Papin followed in 1991, Zinedine Zidane in 1998 and Karim Benzema in 2022. Ousmane Dembélé’s 2025 victory brought France to eight awards and six individual recipients.
Argentina · One record-breaking player
8 awards
2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2015 · 2019 · 2021 · 2023
Every one of Argentina’s eight victories belongs to Lionel Messi. His first arrived in 2009 after a phenomenal season with Barcelona, beginning a run of four consecutive awards.
Further wins followed in 2015, 2019 and 2021. His record eighth came in 2023, following his World Cup triumph with Argentina.
