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{{About|the European football award|the FIFA award issued from 2010–2015|FIFA Ballon d'Or}}
{{About|the European football award|the FIFA award issued from 2010–2015|FIFA Ballon d'Or}}
[[File:Platini 1985.jpg|thumb|[[Michel Platini]], pictured with the 1985 Ballon d'Or, won the award three times in succession.]]
[[File:Platini 1985.jpg|thumb|[[Michel Platini]], pictured with the 1985 Ballon d'Or, won the award three times in succession.]]
The '''Ballon d'Or''' ({{IPA-fr|balɔ̃ dɔʁ}}; "Golden Ball"), often referred to as the '''European Footballer of the Year''' award, is an annual [[association football]] award presented by [[France Football]]. It was awarded from 1956 to 2009 and was revived in 2016; in the meantime, [[FIFA]] issued a similar award to worldwide players, the [[FIFA Ballon d'Or]]. Conceived by sports writer [[Gabriel Hanot]], the award honours the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous year, based on voting by Europe-based journalists. Originally, only European players were in contention for the Ballon d'Or, but from 1995, all players at European clubs are eligible.<ref name="Auto02-1"/><ref name="Nineties"/>
The '''Ballon d'Or''' ({{IPA-fr|balɔ̃ dɔʁ}}; "Golden Ball"), often referred to as the '''European Footballer of the Year''' award, is an annual [[association football]] award presented by [[France Football]]. It was awarded from 1956 to 2009 and was revived in 2016. Conceived by sports writer [[Gabriel Hanot]], the award honours the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous year, based on voting by football journalists. Originally, only European players were in contention for the Ballon d'Or, but from 1995, all players at European clubs are eligible.<ref name="Auto02-1"/><ref name="Nineties"/>


[[Stanley Matthews]] of [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]] was the inaugural winner of the Ballon d'Or.<ref name="one"/> [[A.C. Milan|Milan]]'s [[George Weah]], the only African recipient, became the first non-European to win the award in the year the rules of eligibility were changed.<ref name="Nineties"/> [[Ronaldo]] of [[Inter Milan]] became the first South American winner two years later.<ref name="Nineties"/> The final recipient of the Ballon d'Or was [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]]'s [[Lionel Messi]].<ref name="Auto02-4"/> Three players won the award three times each: [[Johan Cruyff]] of [[AFC Ajax|Ajax]] and Barcelona, [[Michel Platini]] of [[Juventus F.C.|Juventus]] and [[Marco van Basten]] of Milan. With seven awards each, Dutch and German players won the most Ballons d'Or. Italian clubs Juventus and Milan had the most winners respectively; six players won eight awards while playing for each club.<ref name="Auto02-3"/>
[[Stanley Matthews]] of [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]] was the inaugural winner of the Ballon d'Or.<ref name="one"/> [[A.C. Milan|Milan]]'s [[George Weah]], the only African recipient, became the first non-European to win the award in the year the rules of eligibility were changed.<ref name="Nineties"/> [[Ronaldo]] of [[Inter Milan]] became the first South American winner two years later.<ref name="Nineties"/> Three players have won the award three times each: [[Johan Cruyff]] of [[AFC Ajax|Ajax]] and Barcelona, [[Michel Platini]] of [[Juventus F.C.|Juventus]] and [[Marco van Basten]] of Milan. With seven awards each, Dutch and German players won the most Ballons d'Or. Italian clubs Juventus and Milan had the most winners respectively; six players won eight awards while playing for each club.<ref name="Auto02-3"/>


In 2007, the Ballon d'Or changed in scope from an honour bestowed on Europe-based players by Europe-based journalists to one open to all players and voted on by journalists from around the world.<ref name="Auto02-2"/> It was subsequently merged with a similar award, the [[FIFA World Player of the Year]] award, to create the [[FIFA Ballon d'Or]], which was awarded to the world's best male player between 2010 and 2015, when FIFA and France Football broke the merging agreement.<ref name="Auto02-5"/> In 2011, [[UEFA]] created the [[UEFA Best Player in Europe Award]] to maintain the format of the original Ballon d'Or.<ref name="Auto02-6"/>
In 2007, the Ballon d'Or changed in scope from an honour bestowed on Europe-based players by Europe-based journalists to one open to all players and voted on by journalists from around the world.<ref name="Auto02-2"/> It was subsequently merged with a similar award, the [[FIFA World Player of the Year]] award, to create the [[FIFA Ballon d'Or]], which was awarded to the world's best male player between 2010 and 2015, when FIFA and France Football broke the merging agreement.<ref name="Auto02-5"/> In 2011, [[UEFA]] created the [[UEFA Best Player in Europe Award]] to maintain the format of the original Ballon d'Or.<ref name="Auto02-6"/>

Revision as of 15:58, 31 October 2016

File:Platini 1985.jpg
Michel Platini, pictured with the 1985 Ballon d'Or, won the award three times in succession.

The Ballon d'Or (French pronunciation: [balɔ̃ dɔʁ]; "Golden Ball"), often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year award, is an annual association football award presented by France Football. It was awarded from 1956 to 2009 and was revived in 2016. Conceived by sports writer Gabriel Hanot, the award honours the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous year, based on voting by football journalists. Originally, only European players were in contention for the Ballon d'Or, but from 1995, all players at European clubs are eligible.[1][2]

Stanley Matthews of Blackpool was the inaugural winner of the Ballon d'Or.[3] Milan's George Weah, the only African recipient, became the first non-European to win the award in the year the rules of eligibility were changed.[2] Ronaldo of Inter Milan became the first South American winner two years later.[2] Three players have won the award three times each: Johan Cruyff of Ajax and Barcelona, Michel Platini of Juventus and Marco van Basten of Milan. With seven awards each, Dutch and German players won the most Ballons d'Or. Italian clubs Juventus and Milan had the most winners respectively; six players won eight awards while playing for each club.[4]

In 2007, the Ballon d'Or changed in scope from an honour bestowed on Europe-based players by Europe-based journalists to one open to all players and voted on by journalists from around the world.[5] It was subsequently merged with a similar award, the FIFA World Player of the Year award, to create the FIFA Ballon d'Or, which was awarded to the world's best male player between 2010 and 2015, when FIFA and France Football broke the merging agreement.[6] In 2011, UEFA created the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award to maintain the format of the original Ballon d'Or.[7]

Winners

Year 1st Club Pts 2nd Club Pts 3rd Club Pts
1956  Stanley Matthews (ENG) England Blackpool 47  Alfredo Di Stéfano (ESP) Spain Real Madrid 44  Raymond Kopa (FRA) Spain Real Madrid 33
1957  Alfredo Di Stéfano (ESP)[note 1] Spain Real Madrid 72  Billy Wright (ENG) England Wolverhampton Wanderers 19  Duncan Edwards (ENG)
 Raymond Kopa (FRA)
England Manchester United
Spain Real Madrid
16
1958  Raymond Kopa (FRA) Spain Real Madrid 71  Helmut Rahn (FRG) West Germany Rot-Weiss Essen 40  Just Fontaine (FRA) France Stade de Reims 23
1959  Alfredo Di Stéfano (ESP) Spain Real Madrid 80  Raymond Kopa (FRA) Spain Real Madrid 42  John Charles (WAL) Italy Juventus 24
1960  Luis Suárez (ESP) Spain Barcelona 54  Ferenc Puskás (HUN) Spain Real Madrid 37  Uwe Seeler (FRG) West Germany Hamburg 33
1961  Omar Sívori (ITA)[note 2] Italy Juventus 46  Luis Suárez (ESP) Italy Inter Milan 40  Johnny Haynes (ENG) England Fulham 22
1962  Josef Masopust (TCH) Czechoslovakia Dukla Prague 65  Eusébio (POR) Portugal Benfica 53  Karl-Heinz Schnellinger (FRG) West Germany Köln 33
1963  Lev Yashin (URS) Soviet Union Dynamo Moscow 73  Gianni Rivera (ITA) Italy Milan 53  Jimmy Greaves (ENG) England Tottenham Hotspur 33
1964  Denis Law (SCO) England Manchester United 61  Luis Suárez (ESP) Italy Inter Milan 43  Amancio (ESP) Spain Real Madrid 38
1965  Eusébio (POR) Portugal Benfica 67  Giacinto Facchetti (ITA) Italy Inter Milan 59  Luis Suárez (ESP) Italy Inter Milan 45
1966  Bobby Charlton (ENG) England Manchester United 81  Eusébio (POR) Portugal Benfica 80  Franz Beckenbauer (FRG) West Germany Bayern Munich 59
1967  Flórián Albert (HUN) Hungary Ferencváros 68  Bobby Charlton (ENG) England Manchester United 40  Jimmy Johnstone (SCO) Scotland Celtic 39
1968  George Best (NIR) England Manchester United 61  Bobby Charlton (ENG) England Manchester United 53  Dragan Džajić (YUG) Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade 46
1969  Gianni Rivera (ITA) Italy Milan 83  Luigi Riva (ITA) Italy Cagliari 79  Gerd Müller (FRG) West Germany Bayern Munich 38
1970  Gerd Müller (FRG) West Germany Bayern Munich 77  Bobby Moore (ENG) England West Ham United 70  Luigi Riva (ITA) Italy Cagliari 65
1971  Johan Cruyff (NED) Netherlands Ajax 116  Sandro Mazzola (ITA) Italy Inter Milan 57  George Best (NIR) England Manchester United 56
1972  Franz Beckenbauer (FRG) West Germany Bayern Munich 81  Gerd Müller (FRG)
 Günter Netzer (FRG)
West Germany Bayern Munich
West Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach
79
1973  Johan Cruyff (NED)[note 3] Spain Barcelona 96  Dino Zoff (ITA) Italy Juventus 47  Gerd Müller (FRG) West Germany Bayern Munich 44
1974  Johan Cruyff (NED) Spain Barcelona 116  Franz Beckenbauer (FRG) West Germany Bayern Munich 105  Kazimierz Deyna (POL) Poland Legia Warsaw 35
1975  Oleg Blokhin (URS) Soviet Union Dynamo Kyiv 122  Franz Beckenbauer (FRG) West Germany Bayern Munich 42  Johan Cruyff (NED) Spain Barcelona 27
1976  Franz Beckenbauer (FRG) West Germany Bayern Munich 91  Rob Rensenbrink (NED) Belgium Anderlecht 75  Ivo Viktor (TCH) Czechoslovakia Dukla Prague 52
1977  Allan Simonsen (DEN) West Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 74  Kevin Keegan (ENG)[note 4] West Germany Hamburg 71  Michel Platini (FRA) France Nancy 70
1978  Kevin Keegan (ENG) West Germany Hamburg 87  Hans Krankl (AUT) Spain Barcelona 81  Rob Rensenbrink (NED) Belgium Anderlecht 50
1979  Kevin Keegan (ENG) West Germany Hamburg 118  Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (FRG) West Germany Bayern Munich 52  Ruud Krol (NED) Netherlands Ajax 41
1980  Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (FRG) West Germany Bayern Munich 122  Bernd Schuster (FRG) Spain Barcelona 34  Michel Platini (FRA) France Saint-Étienne 33
1981  Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (FRG) West Germany Bayern Munich 106  Paul Breitner (FRG) West Germany Bayern Munich 64  Bernd Schuster (FRG) Spain Barcelona 39
1982  Paolo Rossi (ITA) Italy Juventus 115  Alain Giresse (FRA) France Bordeaux 64  Zbigniew Boniek (POL) Italy Juventus 53
1983  Michel Platini (FRA) Italy Juventus 110  Kenny Dalglish (SCO) England Liverpool 26  Allan Simonsen (DEN) Denmark Vejle 25
1984  Michel Platini (FRA) Italy Juventus 110  Jean Tigana (FRA) France Bordeaux 57  Preben Elkjær (DEN) Italy Hellas Verona 48
1985  Michel Platini (FRA) Italy Juventus 127  Preben Elkjær (DEN) Italy Hellas Verona 71  Bernd Schuster (FRG) Spain Barcelona 46
1986  Igor Belanov (URS) Soviet Union Dynamo Kyiv 84  Gary Lineker (ENG)[note 5] Spain Barcelona 62  Emilio Butragueño (ESP) Spain Real Madrid 59
1987  Ruud Gullit (NED)[note 6] Italy Milan 106  Paulo Futre (POR)[note 7] Spain Atlético Madrid 91  Emilio Butragueño (ESP) Spain Real Madrid 61
1988  Marco van Basten (NED) Italy Milan 129  Ruud Gullit (NED) Italy Milan 88  Frank Rijkaard (NED)[note 8] Italy Milan 45
1989  Marco van Basten (NED) Italy Milan 129  Franco Baresi (ITA) Italy Milan 80  Frank Rijkaard (NED) Italy Milan 43
1990  Lothar Matthäus (GER) Italy Inter Milan 137  Salvatore Schillaci (ITA) Italy Juventus 84  Andreas Brehme (GER) Italy Inter Milan 68
1991  Jean-Pierre Papin (FRA) France Marseille 141  Dejan Savićević (YUG)
 Darko Pančev (YUG)
 Lothar Matthäus (GER)
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade
Italy Inter Milan
42
1992  Marco van Basten (NED) Italy Milan 98  Hristo Stoichkov (BUL) Spain Barcelona 80  Dennis Bergkamp (NED) Netherlands Ajax 53
1993  Roberto Baggio (ITA) Italy Juventus 142  Dennis Bergkamp (NED) Italy Inter Milan 83  Eric Cantona (FRA) England Manchester United 34
1994  Hristo Stoichkov (BUL) Spain Barcelona 210  Roberto Baggio (ITA) Italy Juventus 136  Paolo Maldini (ITA) Italy Milan 109
1995  George Weah (LBR)[note 9] Italy Milan 144  Jürgen Klinsmann (GER) Germany Bayern Munich 108  Jari Litmanen (FIN) Netherlands Ajax 67
1996  Matthias Sammer (GER) Germany Borussia Dortmund 144  Ronaldo (BRA)[note 10] Spain Barcelona 143  Alan Shearer (ENG) England Newcastle United 107
1997  Ronaldo (BRA)[note 11] Italy Inter Milan 222  Predrag Mijatović (FRY) Spain Real Madrid 68  Zinedine Zidane (FRA) Italy Juventus 63
1998  Zinedine Zidane (FRA) Italy Juventus 244  Davor Šuker (CRO) Spain Real Madrid 68  Ronaldo (BRA) Italy Inter Milan 66
1999  Rivaldo (BRA) Spain Barcelona 219  David Beckham (ENG) England Manchester United 154  Andriy Shevchenko (UKR) Italy Milan 64
2000  Luís Figo (POR)[note 12] Spain Real Madrid 197  Zinedine Zidane (FRA) Italy Juventus 181  Andriy Shevchenko (UKR) Italy Milan 85
2001  Michael Owen (ENG) England Liverpool 176  Raúl (ESP) Spain Real Madrid 140  Oliver Kahn (GER) Germany Bayern Munich 114
2002  Ronaldo (BRA)[note 13] Spain Real Madrid 169  Roberto Carlos (BRA) Spain Real Madrid 145  Oliver Kahn (GER) Germany Bayern Munich 110
2003  Pavel Nedvěd (CZE) Italy Juventus 190  Thierry Henry (FRA) England Arsenal 128  Paolo Maldini (ITA) Italy Milan 123
2004  Andriy Shevchenko (UKR) Italy Milan 175  Deco (POR)[note 14] Spain Barcelona 139  Ronaldinho (BRA) Spain Barcelona 133
2005  Ronaldinho (BRA) Spain Barcelona 225  Frank Lampard (ENG) England Chelsea 148  Steven Gerrard (ENG) England Liverpool 142
2006  Fabio Cannavaro (ITA)[note 15] Spain Real Madrid 173  Gianluigi Buffon (ITA) Italy Juventus 124  Thierry Henry (FRA) England Arsenal 121
2007  Kaká (BRA) Italy Milan 444  Cristiano Ronaldo (POR) England Manchester United 277  Lionel Messi (ARG) Spain Barcelona 255
2008  Cristiano Ronaldo (POR) England Manchester United 446  Lionel Messi (ARG) Spain Barcelona 281  Fernando Torres (ESP) England Liverpool 179
2009  Lionel Messi (ARG) Spain Barcelona 473  Cristiano Ronaldo (POR)[note 16] Spain Real Madrid 233  Xavi (ESP) Spain Barcelona 170
2010–2015 Merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year award to create the FIFA Ballon d'Or

Wins by player

Johan Cruyff with the Ballon d'Or in 1971
Player 1st 2nd 3rd
 Michel Platini (FRA) 3 (1983, 1984, 1985) 2 (1977, 1980)
 Johan Cruyff (NED) 3 (1971, 1973, 1974) 1 (1975)
 Marco van Basten (NED) 3 (1988, 1989, 1992)
 Franz Beckenbauer (FRG) 2 (1972, 1976) 2 (1974, 1975) 1 (1966)
 Ronaldo (BRA) 2 (1997, 2002) 1 (1996) 1 (1998)
 Alfredo Di Stéfano (ESP) 2 (1957, 1959) 1 (1956)
 Kevin Keegan (ENG) 2 (1978, 1979) 1 (1977)
 Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (FRG) 2 (1980, 1981) 1 (1979)
 Luis Suárez (ESP) 1 (1960) 2 (1961, 1964) 1 (1965)
 Eusébio (POR) 1 (1965) 2 (1962, 1966)
 Bobby Charlton (ENG) 1 (1966) 2 (1967, 1968)
 Cristiano Ronaldo (POR)[note 17] 1 (2008) 2 (2007, 2009)
 Raymond Kopa (FRA) 1 (1958) 1 (1959) 2 (1956, 1957)
 Gerd Müller (FRG) 1 (1970) 1 (1972) 2 (1969, 1973)
 Zinedine Zidane (FRA) 1 (1998) 1 (2000) 1 (1997)
 Lionel Messi (ARG)[note 18] 1 (2009) 1 (2008) 1 (2007)
 George Best (NIR) 1 (1968) 1 (1971)
 Gianni Rivera (ITA) 1 (1969) 1 (1963)
 Ruud Gullit (NED) 1 (1987) 1 (1988)
 Lothar Matthäus (GER) 1 (1990) 1 (1991)
 Roberto Baggio (ITA) 1 (1993) 1 (1994)
 Hristo Stoichkov (BUL) 1 (1994) 1 (1992)
 Andriy Shevchenko (UKR) 1 (2004) 2 (1999, 2000)
 Allan Simonsen (DEN) 1 (1977) 1 (1983)
 Ronaldinho (BRA) 1 (2005) 1 (2004)
 Matthias Sammer (GER) 1 (1996)

Wins by country

Country Players Total
 Germany 5 7
 Netherlands 3 7
 France 4 6
 Italy 5 5
 Brazil 4 5
 England 4 5
 Portugal 3 3
 Soviet Union 3 3
 Spain 2 3
 Czech Republic 2 2
 Argentina 1 1
 Bulgaria 1 1
 Denmark 1 1
 Hungary 1 1
 Liberia 1 1
 Northern Ireland 1 1
 Scotland 1 1
 Ukraine 1 1

Wins by club

Club Players Total
Italy Juventus 6 8
Italy Milan 6 8
Spain Barcelona 6 7
Spain Real Madrid 5 6
Germany Bayern Munich 3 5
England Manchester United 4 4
Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 2 2
Italy Inter Milan 2 2
Germany Hamburg 1 2
Netherlands Ajax 1 1
Portugal Benfica 1 1
England Blackpool 1 1
Germany Borussia Dortmund 1 1
Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 1 1
Czech Republic Dukla Prague 1 1
Russia Dynamo Moscow 1 1
Hungary Ferencváros 1 1
England Liverpool 1 1
France Marseille 1 1

Additional awards

A special Ballon d'Or, under the name Super Ballon d'Or, was awarded to Alfredo Di Stéfano in 1989, after he surpassed Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini in France Football's voting.[19] A decade later, France Football elected Pelé the Football Player of the Century after consulting their former Ballon d'Or recipients. Among the 34 previous winners, 30 cast their votes; Stanley Matthews, Omar Sívori and George Best abstained, and Lev Yashin had died. Each voter was allotted five votes worth up to five points; however, Di Stéfano only chose a first place, Platini a first and second place, and George Weah two players for fifth place. Pelé was named the greatest by 17 voters, receiving almost double the number of points earned by the runner-up, Diego Maradona.[20]

Football Player of the Century
Player Pts 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
 Pelé (BRA) 122 17 5 4 2 1
 Diego Maradona (ARG) 65 3 6 5 5 1
 Johan Cruyff (NED) 62 1 4 7 9 2
 Alfredo Di Stéfano (ESP) 44 4 3 3 1 1
 Michel Platini (FRA) 40 1 5 1 3 6

To coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Ballon d'Or in 2016, France Football published a reevaluation of the awards presented before 1995, when only European players were eligible to win the award. 12 out of the 39 Ballons d'Or presented during this time period would have been awarded to South American players; in addition to Pelé and Diego Maradona, Garrincha, Mario Kempes, and Romário were retrospectively recognized as worthy winners. The original recipients, however, remain unchanged.[21] Maradona and Pelé received honorary Ballons d'Or for their services to football in 1996 and 2013, respectively.[22][23]

Le nouveau palmarès (the new winners)
Year Original New
1958  Raymond Kopa (FRA)  Pelé (BRA)
1959  Alfredo Di Stéfano (ESP)  Pelé (BRA)
1960  Luis Suárez (ESP)  Pelé (BRA)
1961  Omar Sívori (ITA)  Pelé (BRA)
1962  Josef Masopust (TCH)  Garrincha (BRA)
1963  Lev Yashin (URS)  Pelé (BRA)
1964  Denis Law (SCO)  Pelé (BRA)
1970  Gerd Müller (FRG)  Pelé (BRA)
1978  Kevin Keegan (ENG)  Mario Kempes (ARG)
1986  Igor Belanov (URS)  Diego Maradona (ARG)
1990  Lothar Matthäus (GER)  Diego Maradona (ARG)
1994  Hristo Stoichkov (BUL)  Romário (BRA)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Born in Argentina, Di Stéfano acquired Spanish citizenship in 1956 and went on to play for the Spanish national football team.[8]
  2. ^ Born in Argentina, Sívori acquired Italian citizenship in 1961 and went on to play for the Italian national football team.[9]
  3. ^ Cruyff was signed by Barcelona from Ajax midway through 1973.
  4. ^ Keegan was signed by Hamburg from Liverpool midway through 1977.
  5. ^ Lineker was signed by Barcelona from Everton midway through 1986.
  6. ^ Gullit was signed by Milan from PSV Eindhoven midway through 1987.[10]
  7. ^ Futre was signed by Atlético Madrid from Porto midway through 1987.
  8. ^ Rijkaard was signed by Milan from Real Zaragoza midway through 1988.
  9. ^ Weah was signed by Milan from Paris Saint-Germain midway through 1995.[11]
  10. ^ Ronaldo was signed by Barcelona from PSV Eindhoven midway through 1996.
  11. ^ Ronaldo was signed by Inter Milan from Barcelona midway through 1997.[12]
  12. ^ Figo was signed by Real Madrid from Barcelona midway through 2000.[13]
  13. ^ Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid from Inter Milan midway through 2002.[14]
  14. ^ Deco was signed by Barcelona from Porto midway through 2004.
  15. ^ Cannavaro was signed by Real Madrid from Juventus midway through 2006.[15]
  16. ^ Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid from Manchester United midway through 2009.[16]
  17. ^ Cristiano Ronaldo additionally won two FIFA Ballons d'Or (2013, 2014) and thrice finished in second place (2011, 2012, 2015).[17][18]
  18. ^ Messi additionally won four FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010, 2011, 2012, 2015) and twice finished in second place (2013, 2014).[17][18]

References

  1. ^ "Matthews wins first Golden Ball". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  2. ^ a b c "The 1990s Ballon d'Or winners". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  3. ^ "Ronaldo joins legendary list". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  4. ^ "Rankings by Wins". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 9 October 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  5. ^ "Kaka wins 2007 award". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008.
  6. ^ "The FIFA Ballon d'Or is born". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  7. ^ "How the award came about". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  8. ^ Bellwood, Tom (4 December 2009). "The best footballers to have never played in the World Cup". Daily Mail. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
  9. ^ "Juve legend Sívori dies". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 February 2005. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  10. ^ "Sexy football to sexy golf, Gullit shows his class". The Scotsman. Johnston Press Digital Publishing. 4 October 2008. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  11. ^ Harris, Nick (7 December 2004). "George Weah: favourite to win biggest battle – leading his country off the field". The Independent. Associated Press. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  12. ^ "Fast facts on Ronaldo". Sports Illustrated. Reuters. 31 August 2002. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  13. ^ Nash, Elizabeth (25 July 2000). "Figo defects to Real Madrid for record £37.2m". The Independent. Associated Press. Retrieved 6 December 2008. [dead link]
  14. ^ "Real ropes Ronaldo". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. 31 August 2002. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  15. ^ "Real sign Cannavaro and Emerson". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 19 July 2006. Retrieved 6 December 2008.
  16. ^ "Man Utd accept £80m Ronaldo bid". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 11 June 2009. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
  17. ^ a b "La liste complête des lauréats du Ballon d'or, de 1956 à nos jours". France Football. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  18. ^ a b "FIFA Awards – World Player of the Year". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  19. ^ "On this day, Di Stéfano won the Super Ballon d'Or". RealMadrid.com. 24 December 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  20. ^ Stokkermans, Karel (23 December 2015). "France Football's Football Player of the Century". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ Marchand, Thierry (December 2015). "On a refait le palmarès". France Football. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  22. ^ "Maradona receives honorary award". BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  23. ^ "Pele receives FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur". FIFA.com. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
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