The Golden Ball ( French Ballon d'Or ) is an annual football award, also known as the European Footballer of the Year award . It is awarded to a soccer player who is recognized as the best in every calendar year. The award was established by the editor-in-chief of France Football magazine, Gabriel Ano , who asked his colleagues to vote for the best player of the year in Europe in 1956. The first winner of the prize was Stanley Matthews from Blackpool [1] .
Initially, journalists could only vote for European players playing for European clubs, so football players like Diego Maradona and Pele could not receive this award [2] . In 1995, the rules changed: now players of any nationality could receive an award if they played for a European club. The first non-European footballer to receive the award was Milan Weah player that same year [3] . In 2007, the rules changed again: now the player of any nationality, who plays for any club in the world, could become the owner of the Golden Ball. In this regard, the number of journalists determining the winner was increased: from 52 journalists from Europe to 96 journalists from around the world, who determine the five best players of the year [4] .
Four football players received France Football Golden Ball three times: Johan Cruyff , Michel Platini , Marco van Bastin and Cristiano Ronaldo . Platini is the only footballer to receive an award for three consecutive years, from 1983 to 1985 [1] . In 1997, Ronaldo became the owner of the Golden Ball, becoming the first Brazilian to receive an award [3] . Most often, German football players received the award: five players from Germany won seven Golden Goals.
Lev Yashin is the only goalkeeper who won this award; it happened in 1963.
In 2010, the France Football Golden Ball and FIFA Player of the Year awards were combined. The best player in the world began to receive a new award - the FIFA Golden Ball . The first owner of such a prize was Lionel Messi [5] .
In September 2016, FIFA terminated its Golden Ball partnership with France Football . From this moment, the award is again presented by France Football magazine [6] . The current winner of the award is Luca Modric .
Winner List
| Year | A country | Player | Club | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden ball France Football (1956-2009) | ||||
| 1956 Details |  England | Stanley Matthews | Blackpool | |
| 1957 Details | Spain | Alfredo Di Stefano | RealMadrid | [1957] |
| 1958 Details | France | Raymond Cope | RealMadrid | |
| 1959 Details | Spain | Alfredo Di Stefano | RealMadrid | |
| 1960 Details | Spain | Luis Suarez | Barcelona | |
| 1961 Details | Italy | Omar Sivori | Juventus | [1961] |
| 1962 Details | Czechoslovakia | Joseph Masopust | Dukla (Prague) | |
| 1963 Details | the USSR | Lev Yashin | Dynamo (Moscow) | |
| 1964 Details | Scotland | Denis Lowe | Manchester United | |
| 1965 Details | Portugal | Eusebio | Benfica (Lisbon) | |
| 1966 Details | England | Bobby charlton | Manchester United | |
| 1967 Details | Hungary | Florian Albert | Ferencvaros | |
| 1968 Details | Northern Ireland | George Best | Manchester United | |
| 1969 Details | Italy | Gianni Rivera | Milan | |
| 1970 Details | Germany | Gerd Muller | Bayern Munich) | |
| 1971 Details | Netherlands | Johan Cruyff | Ajax | |
| 1972 Details | Germany | Franz Beckenbauer | Bayern Munich) | |
| 1973 Details | Netherlands | Johan Cruyff | Barcelona | [1973] |
| 1974 Details | Netherlands | Johan Cruyff | Barcelona | |
| 1975 Details | the USSR | Oleg Blokhin | Dynamo (Kiev) | |
| 1976 Details | Germany | Franz Beckenbauer | Bayern Munich) | |
| 1977 Details | Denmark | Allan Simonsen | Borussia (Monchengladbach) | |
| 1978 Details | England | Kevin Keegan | Hamburg | |
| 1979 Details | England | Kevin Keegan | Hamburg | |
| 1980 Details | Germany | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | Bayern Munich) | |
| 1981 Details | Germany | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | Bayern Munich) | |
| 1982 Details | Italy | Paolo Rossi | Juventus | |
| 1983 Details | France | Michel Platini | Juventus | |
| 1984 Details | France | Michel Platini | Juventus | |
| 1985 Details | France | Michel Platini | Juventus | |
| 1986 Details | the USSR | Igor Belanov | Dynamo (Kiev) | |
| 1987 Details | Netherlands | Ruud Gullit | Milan | [1987] |
| 1988 Details | Netherlands | Marco van Bastin | Milan | |
| 1989 Details | Netherlands | Marco van Bastin | Milan | |
| 1990 Details | Germany | Lothar Matteus | International | |
| 1991 Details | France | Jean-Pierre Papin | Olympic Marseille | |
| 1992 Details | Netherlands | Marco van Basten | Milan | |
| 1993 Details | Italy | Roberto Baggio | Juventus | |
| 1994 Details | Bulgaria | Hristo Stoichkov | Barcelona | |
| 1995 Details | Liberia | George Weah | Milan | [1995] |
| 1996 Details | Germany | Matthias Zammer | Borussia Dortmund) | |
| 1997 | Brazil | Ronaldo | International | [1997] |
| 1998 | France | Zinedine Zidane | Juventus | |
| 1999 | Brazil | Rivaldo | Barcelona | |
| 2000 | Portugal | Luis Figo | RealMadrid | [2000] |
| 2001 | England | Michael Owen | Liverpool | |
| 2002 | Brazil | Ronaldo | RealMadrid | [2002] |
| 2003 | Czech | Pavel Nedved | Juventus | |
| 2004 | Ukraine | Andrey Shevchenko | Milan | |
| 2005 | Brazil | Ronaldinho | Barcelona | |
| 2006 | Italy | Fabio Cannavaro | RealMadrid | [2006] |
| 2007 | Brazil | Kaka | Milan | |
| 2008 Details | Portugal | Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United | |
| 2009 | Argentina | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | |
| FIFA Golden Ball (2010β2015) | ||||
| 2010 | Argentina | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | |
| 2011 | Argentina | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | |
| 2012 | Argentina | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | |
| 2013 | Portugal | Cristiano Ronaldo | RealMadrid | |
| 2014 | Portugal | Cristiano Ronaldo | RealMadrid | |
| 2015 | Argentina | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | |
| Golden ball France Football (since 2016) | ||||
| 2016 Details | Portugal | Cristiano Ronaldo | RealMadrid | |
| 2017 Details | Portugal | Cristiano Ronaldo | RealMadrid | |
| 2018 Details | Croatia | Luca Modric | RealMadrid | |
Multiple Winners
- Three-time Golden Ball winners France Football
Johan Cruyff
(1971, 1973, 1974)Michel Platini
(1983, 1984, 1985)Marco van Basten
(1988, 1989, 1992)Cristiano Ronaldo
(2008, 2016, 2017)
| Player | Number of victories | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Johan Cruyff | 3 | 1971, 1973, 1974 |
| Michel Platini | 3 | 1983, 1984, 1985 |
| Marco van Bastin | 3 | 1988, 1989, 1992 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 3 | 2008, 2016, 2017 |
| Alfredo Di Stefano | 2 | 1957, 1959 |
| Franz Beckenbauer | 2 | 1972, 1976 |
| Kevin Keegan | 2 | 1978, 1979 |
| Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | 2 | 1980, 1981 |
| Ronaldo | 2 | 1997, 2002 |
Country Winners
| A country | Players | Number of victories |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | five | 7 |
| Netherlands | 3 | 7 |
| France | four | 6 |
| Italy | five | five |
| England | four | five |
| Brazil | four | five |
| Portugal | 3 | 7 |
| the USSR | 3 | 3 |
| Spain | 2 | 3 |
| Argentina | one | one |
| Ukraine | one | one |
| Czech | one | one |
| Czechoslovakia | one | one |
| Scotland | one | one |
| Hungary | one | one |
| Denmark | one | one |
| Bulgaria | one | one |
| Liberia | one | one |
| Northern Ireland | one | one |
| Croatia | one | one |
Club Winners
| Club | Owners | Prizes |
|---|---|---|
| RealMadrid | 7 | 9 |
| Juventus | 6 | eight |
| Milan | 6 | eight |
| Barcelona | 6 | 7 |
| Bayern Munich) | 3 | five |
| Manchester United | four | four |
| Dynamo (Kiev) | 2 | 2 |
| International | 2 | 2 |
| Hamburg | one | 2 |
| Ajax | one | one |
| Blackpool | one | one |
| Dukla (Prague) | one | one |
| Dynamo (Moscow) | one | one |
| Benfica | one | one |
| Ferencvaros | one | one |
| Borussia (Monchengladbach) | one | one |
| Olympic Marseille | one | one |
| Borussia Dortmund) | one | one |
| Liverpool | one | one |
Additional rewards
A separate prize called the Super Golden Ball was awarded to Alfredo Di Stefano in 1989, after he surpassed Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini in a France Football vote. [7] After 10 years, the magazine called Pele the βPlayer of the Centuryβ after consulting with the owners of the Golden Balls. Of the 34 award winners, 30 agreed with Pele's recognition; Stanley Matthews, George Best and Omar Sivori abstained, and Lev Yashin had already died. Each of the voters was allocated 5 seats, the first got 5 points, the second 4, the third three, the fourth 2, and the fifth one point. However, Di Stefano chose only the first place, Platini - the first and second places, and George Weah in fifth place had two players. Pele was named the best 17 votes, while Diego Maradona took second place, gaining almost half the votes [8] .
| Player | Vote | 1 place | 2nd place | 3rd place | 4th place | 5th place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pele | 122 | 17 | five | four | 2 | one |
| Diego Maradona | 65 | 3 | 6 | five | five | one |
| Johan Cruyff | 62 | one | four | 7 | 9 | 2 |
| Alfredo Di Stefano | 44 | four | 3 | 3 | one | one |
| Michel Platini | 40 | one | five | one | 3 | 6 |
In the year of the 60th anniversary of the award, France Football decided to review the awards held before 1995, due to the fact that only European football players could receive the award. In addition to Pele and Diego Maradone, who received honorary awards for their achievements in football in 1996 and 2013 [9] [10] , Garrincha , Mario Kempes and Romario received their symbolic prizes. At the same time, the initial winners of their prizes did not lose [11] .
| Year | Winner 1 | Winner 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Raymond Cope | Pele |
| 1959 | Alfredo Di Stefano | Pele |
| 1960 | Luis Suarez | Pele |
| 1961 | Omar Sivori | Pele |
| 1962 | Joseph Masopust | Garrincha |
| 1963 | Lev Yashin | Pele |
| 1964 | Denis Lowe | Pele |
| 1970 | Gerd Muller | Pele |
| 1978 | Kevin Keegan | Mario campes |
| 1986 | Igor Belanov | Diego Maradona |
| 1990 | Lothar Matteus | Diego Maradona |
| 1994 | Hristo Stoichkov | Romario |
See also
- UEFA club footballer of the year
- FIFA Player of the Year
- Golden boot
- Prize to the best football player of the year in Europe
Comments on the table
1957. β Although Alfredo Di Stefano was born in Argentina , in 1956 he received Spanish citizenship and played for the Spanish National Team . [12]
1961. β Although Omar Sivori was born in Argentina , in 1961 he received Italian citizenship, and played for the Italian national team . [13]
1973. β Johan Cruyff moved from Ajax to Barcelona in mid-1973. [14]
1987. β Ruud Gullit moved from PSV to Milan in mid-1987. [15]
1995. β George Weah moved from Paris Saint-Germain to Milan in mid-1995. [sixteen]
1997. β Ronaldo moved from Barcelona to the Internationale in mid-1997. [17]
2000. β Luis Figo moved from Barcelona to Real Madrid in mid-2000. [18]
2002. β Ronaldo moved from Internationale to Real Madrid in mid-2002. [nineteen]
2006. β Fabio Cannavaro transferred from Juventus to Real Madrid in mid-2006. [20]
Notes
- β 1 2 Ronaldo joins legendary list. BBC Sport. 12/01/2008.
- β Matthews wins first Golden Ball. BBC Sport. 12/01/2008.
- β 1 2 The 1990s Ballon d'Or winners. BBC Sport. 12/01/2008.
- β Kaka wins 2007 award. BBC Sport. 12/01/2008.
- β The FIFA Ballon d'Or is born (link not available) . FIFA (07/05/2010). Archived December 12, 2010.
- β Voici les nouvelles rΓ¨gles et les nouveaux amΓ©nagements du Ballon d'Or France Football : [ fr. ] // France Football: magazine. - 2018 .-- 19 septembre.
- β On this day, Di StΓ©fano won the Super Ballon d'Or
- β The Best x Players of the Century / All-Time
- β Maradona receives honorary award
- β Pele receives FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur
- β On a refait le palmarΓ¨s. France football
- β Europe dazzled by Di StΓ©fano. UEFA.com. 11/22/2004.
- β Juve legend Sivori dies. UEFA.com. 02/18/2005.
- β Johan Cruyff. Laureus World Sports Awards.
- β Sexy football to sexy golf, Gullit shows his class. The Scotsman. 10/04/2008.
- β Nick Harris. George Weah: favorite to win biggest battle - leading his country off the field. The Independent. 12/07/2004.
- β Fast facts on Ronaldo. Sports Illustrated. 08/31/2002.
- β Elizabeth Nash. Figo defects to Real Madrid for record Β£ 37.2m. The Independent. 07/25/2000.
- β Real ropes Ronaldo. Sports Illustrated. 08/31/2002. Archived December 5, 2008 on Wayback Machine
- β Real sign Cannavaro and Emerson. BBC Sport. 07/19/2006.