Ballon d'Or winners: Full list of men's and women's winners
All the Ballon d'Or winners from 2023 to 1956.
This year's Ballon d'Or ceremony took place last night (30th October 2023), with football's biggest names gathering at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris for a lavish celebration.
Eighty players were nominated in total; 30 in the Ballon d'Or category, 30 in the Ballon d'Or Féminin, and 10 each in the Yashin and Kopa trophies.
The prestigious award had gone to Lionel Messi seven times already and, indeed, the Inter Miami striker was in attendance last night.
He faced some tough competition, however, in the shape of Man City star Erling Haaland. Last year's winner, Karim Benzema, was also nominated.
A new winner was crowned in the Féminin category, with two-time champ Alexia Putellas out for the count due to a long-term injury.
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Fellow Spain and Barcelona player Aitana Bonmatí was heavily tipped to claim the golden ball in the run-up to the event.
Want to know who took it home? Read on for the winners, and every winner since the award was created by French football magazine L'Équipe in 1956.
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Who won the Ballon d'Or 2023?
This year's Ballon d'Or went to Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to World Cup glory last year. The win marks the iconic striker's eighth prize.
In the Féminin category, Aitana Bonmatí claimed the top spot, taking over from fellow Barcelona and Spain player Alexia Putellas.
Argentina and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez beat Ederson and Yassine Bounou to the Yashin Trophy, while England and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham won the Kopa for world's best young player.
Every Ballon d'Or winner
- 2023: Lionel Messi, Argentina, Inter Miami
- 2022: Karim Benzema, France, Real Madrid
- 2021: Lionel Messi, Argentina, Paris Saint-Germain
- 2020: Not awarded
- 2019: Lionel Messi, Argentina, Barcelona
- 2018: Luka Modrić, Croatia, Real Madrid
- 2017: Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal, Real Madrid
- 2016: Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal, Real Madrid
- 2015: Lionel Messi, Argentina, Barcelona
- 2014: Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal, Real Madrid
- 2013: Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal, Real Madrid
- 2012: Lionel Messi, Argentina, Barcelona
- 2011: Lionel Messi, Argentina, Barcelona
- 2010: Lionel Messi, Argentina, Barcelona
- 2009: Lionel Messi, Argentina, Barcelona
- 2008: Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal, Manchester United
- 2007: Kaká, Brazil, Milan
- 2006: Fabio Cannavaro, Italy, Real Madrid
- 2005: Ronaldinho, Brazil, Barcelona
- 2004: Andriy Shevchenko, Ukraine, Milan
- 2003: Pavel Nedvěd, Czechia, Juventus
- 2002: Ronaldo, Brazil, Real Madrid
- 2001: Michael Owen, England, Liverpool
- 2000: Luís Figo, Portugal, Real Madrid
- 1999: Rivaldo, Brazil, Barcelona
- 1998: Zinedine Zidane, France, Juventus
- 1997: Ronaldo, Brazil, Internazionale
- 1996: Matthias Sammer, Germany, Borussia Dortmund
- 1995: George Weah, Liberia, Milan
- 1994: Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgaria, Barcelona
- 1993: Roberto Baggio, Italy, Juventus
- 1992: Marco van Basten, Netherlands, Milan
- 1991: Jean-Pierre Papin, France, Marseille
- 1990: Lothar Matthäus, Germany, Internazionale
- 1989: Marco van Basten, Netherlands, Milan
- 1988: Marco van Basten, Netherlands, Milan
- 1987: Ruud Gullit, Netherlands, Milan
- 1986: Igor Belanov, Soviet Union, Dynamo Kyiv
- 1985: Michel Platini, France, Juventus
- 1984: Michel Platini, France, Juventus
- 1983: Michel Platini, France, Juventus
- 1982: Paolo Rossi, Italy, Juventus
- 1981: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, West Germany, Bayern Munich
- 1980: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, West Germany, Bayern Munich
- 1979: Kevin Keegan, England, Hamburg
- 1978: Kevin Keegan, England, Hamburg
- 1977: Allan Simonsen, Denmark, Borussia Mönchengladbach
- 1976: Franz Beckenbauer, West Germany, Bayern Munich
- 1975: Oleg Blokhin, Soviet Union, Dynamo Kyiv
- 1974: Johan Cruyff, Netherlands, Barcelona
- 1973: Johan Cruyff, Netherlands, Barcelona
- 1972: Franz Beckenbauer, West Germany, Bayern Munich
- 1971: Johan Cruyff, Netherlands, Ajax
- 1970: Gerd Müller, West Germany, Bayern Munich
- 1969: Gianni Rivera, Italy, Milan
- 1968: George Best, Northern Ireland, Manchester United
- 1967: Flórián Albert, Hungary Ferencv, rosi TC
- 1966: Bobby Charlton, England, Manchester United
- 1965: Eusébio, Portugal, Benfica
- 1964: Denis Law, Scotland, Manchester United
- 1963: Lev Yashin, Soviet Union, Dynamo Moscow
- 1962: Josef Masopust, Czechoslovakia Dukla, Prague
- 1961: Omar Sívori, Italy, Juventus
- 1960: Luis Suárez, Spain, Barcelona
- 1959: Alfredo Di Stéfano, Argentina, Real Madrid
- 1958: Raymond Kopa, France, Real Madrid
- 1957: Alfredo Di Stéfano, Argentina Real Madrid
- 1956: Stanley Matthews, England, Blackpool
Every Ballon d'Or Feminin winner
- 2023: Aitana Bonmatí, Spain, Barcelona
- 2022: Alexia Putellas, Spain, Barcelona
- 2021: Alexia Putellas, Spain, Barcelona
- 2020: Not awarded
- 2019: Megan Rapinoe, USA, Reign FC
- 2018: Ada Hegerberg, Norway, Olympique Lyonnais
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