FIFA Ballon d’Or is the highest level achievement for a footballer which provide by a jury board organized by FIFA in every year. A Ballon d’Or Award winner also mentioned as the best soccer player of the year. This procedure of Ballon d’Or award started from the year 1956 where any European nation footballer took chance to win this award. Actually, it was limited on Europe on that time and in that case a Ballon d’Or winner would be call the best player of the year from Europe. But from the year 1995, the organizer committee elected to give this award to any footballer as well those are playing in European clubs. From the year 2009, it became more big and FIFA directly involve and took the decision to give this award to the best footballer around the world. Though most of the superstar players play in Spanish, German, English, Italian & Portuguese clubs and ultimately all award goes to European club playing footballers.
Jury Board & selection procedure:
170 national team captain, coach & a special journalist can able to provide vote for the Ballon d’Or award nominees and FIFA make a shortlist of best 3 footballer and finally around 500 people (170 National team captain, 170 National team coach & 170 special journalist from 170 nation) choice help FIFA to pick the “Best footballer of the year”.
In the year 2015, Argentine Barcelona striker Lionel Messi won the award of FIFA Ballon d’Or which is the 5th achievement of him and still now the highest amount of Ballon d’Or winner.
Now take a look into the list of all year Ballon d’Or award winner from the year 1956 to 2015.
| Year | Player | Club | Nationality |
| 2015 | Lionel Messi | FC Barcelona | Argentina |
| 2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Portugal |
| 2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Portugal |
| 2012 | Lionel Messi | FC Barceona | Argentina |
| 2011 | Lionel Messi | FC Barcelona | Argentina |
| 2010 | Lionel Messi | FC Barcelona | Argentina |
| 2009 | Lionel Messi | FC Barcelona | Argentina |
| 2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United | Portugal |
| 2007 | Kaka | AC Milan | Brazil |
| 2006 | Fabio Cannvaro | Juventus/Real Madrid | Italy |
| 2005 | Ronaldinho | FC Barcelona | Brazil |
| 2004 | Andriy Shevchenko | AC Milan | Ukraine |
| 2003 | Pavel Nedved | AC Milan | Juventus |
| 2002 | Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Brazil |
| 2001 | Michael Owen | FC Liverpool | England |
| 2000 | Luis Figo | Real Madrid | Portugal |
| 1999 | Rivaldo | FC Barcelona | Brazil |
| 1998 | Zinedine Zidane | Juventus | France |
| 1997 | Ronaldo | Inter Milan | Brazil |
| 1996 | Matthias Sammer | Borussia Dortmund | Germany |
| 1995 | George Weah | AC Milan | Liberia |
| 1994 | Hristo Stoichkov | FC Barcelona | Bulgaria |
| 1993 | Roberto Baggio | Juventus | Italy |
| 1992 | Marco Van Basten | AC Milan | Netherlands |
| 1991 | Jean Pierre Papin | Marseille | France |
| 1990 | Lothar Matthaus | Inter Milan | Germany |
| 1989 | Marco Van Basten | AC Milan | Netherlands |
| 1988 | Marco Van Basten | AC Milan | Netherlands |
| 1987 | Ruud Gullit | AC Milan | Netherlands |
| 1986 | Igor Belanov | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1985 | Michel Platini | Juventus | France |
| 1984 | Michel Platini | Juventus | France |
| 1983 | Michel Platini | Juventus | France |
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi | Juventus | Italy |
| 1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| 1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| 1979 | Kevin Keegan | Hamburg | England |
| 1978 | Kevin Keegan | Hamburg | England |
| 1977 | Allan Simonsen | Borussia Monchengladbach | Denmark |
| 1976 | Franz Beckenbauer | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| 1975 | Oleg Blokhin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kyiv |
| 1974 | Johan Cruyff | FC Barcelona | Netherlands |
| 1973 | Johan Cruyff | FC Barcelona | Netherlands |
| 1972 | Franz Beckenbauer | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| 1971 | Johan Cruyff | FC Barcelona | Netherlands |
| 1970 | Gerd Muller | Bayer Munich | Germany |
| 1969 | Gianni Rivera | AC Milan | Italy |
| 1968 | George Best | Manchester United | Northern Ireland |
| 1967 | Florian Albert | Ferencv Rosi TC | Hungary |
| 1966 | Bobby Chalton | Manchester United | England |
| 1965 | Eusebio | Benfica | Portugal |
| 1964 | Denis Law | Manchester United | Scotland |
| 1963 | Lev Yashin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Moscow |
| 1962 | Josef Masopust | Dukla Prague | Czechoslovakia |
| 1961 | Omar Sivori | Juventus | Italy |
| 1960 | Luis Suarez | FC Barcelona | Spain |
| 1959 | Alfredo Di Stefano | Real Madrid | Spain |
| 1958 | Raymond Kopa | Real Madrid | France |
| 1957 | Alfredo Di Stefano | Real Madrid | Spain |
| 1956 | Stanley Matthews | Blackpool | England |
Actually, this award FIFA Ballon d’Or is the dream of a footballer. Once upon a time when Lionel Messi were a child and played well in Under 13 club of Barcelona, media people asked him that what is his aim in life where he was simply answered that he wants to win Ballon d’Or. This is mention that how much important award for footballer, Ballon d’Or is and this honor also encouraged every players around the world.
A video of 2015 FIFA Ballon d’Or Award giving ceremony:
Another short list of Players who won Ballon d’Or multiple times –
- Lionel Messi (ARG) – 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015
- Michel Platini (FRA) – 1983, 1984, 1985
- Marco Van Basten (NED) – 1988, 1989, 1992
- Johan Cruyff (NED) – 1971, 1973, 1974
- Cristiano Ronaldo (POR) – 2008, 2013, 2014
- Franz Beckenbauer (GER) – 1972, 1976
- Ronaldo (BRA) – 1997, 2002
- Alfredo Di Stefano (ESP) – 1957, 1959
- Kevin Keegan (ENG) – 1978, 1979
- Karl Heinz Rummenigge (GER) – 1980, 1981
