Who has the most ballon d’or awards? The Golden Ball is always considered the most prestigious individual award in football. This title also means being honored as the best player in the world. Throughout history, there have been many famous stars who have won the Golden Ball. For some people, winning a Golden Ball is worthy of being considered a legend. However, there are still 10 famous players who have won the Golden Ball more than twice in their career. Let’s find out with Bestsoccertips.com through the article below!
Who has the most ballon d’or awards?
10. Karl Heinz-Rummenigge (2 Golden Balls)
The legend Karl-Heinz Rummenigge won two consecutive Golden Balls in 1980 and 1981, affirming his outstanding talent and great influence on world football. The peak of his career was with Bayern Munich, where he scored 217 goals in 422 matches during his 10 years with the “Gray Tigers”. Rummenigge is a symbol of the team, but the only thing he lacked in his career was the World Cup title. He twice led the German team to the final, but both times he had to accept defeat.
After retiring, Rummenigge did not leave football but continued to be associated with Bayern Munich as CEO. Under his leadership, Bayern achieved many successes both financially and in sports, further cementing his legacy at the club. Rummenigge is not only a legend on the pitch, but also an important contributor to the development of Bayern Munich into one of the strongest teams in the world.
9. Kevin Keegan (2 Ballons d’Or)
Kevin Keegan is the only English player to have won more than one Ballon d’Or, winning two in 1978 and 1979. Despite a 15-year professional career in England, both of his Ballons d’Or came during three seasons with Hamburg in Germany, where Keegan excelled and helped the team to great success.
With his dribbling ability, intelligent positioning and sharp finishing, Keegan became one of the top attacking players in his prime. After retiring, he continued to be involved in football, working as a coach at several Premier League clubs, making a significant contribution to the development of teams and continuing to leave his mark on English football.
8. Ronaldo de Lima (2 Ballon d’Ors)
Ronaldo de Lima, also known as “The Alien”, is one of the greatest players in the history of world football. With his skillful technique, speed and perfect finishing ability, Ronaldo made a strong impression on fans and experts from a very young age. His form peaked in the 1996/1997 season, when he played for Barcelona, where he scored 47 goals in just 49 matches. These great performances not only helped him affirm his talent but also helped Ronaldo win his first Ballon d’Or in his career in 1997, becoming the youngest player at that time to receive this prestigious title.
Despite many injuries throughout his career, Ronaldo always knew how to overcome and prove his mettle. His second Ballon d’Or title came in 2022, when Ronaldo continued to make miracles with the Brazilian team. This time, he contributed greatly to helping Brazil win the World Cup for the 5th time, a great achievement that no one can deny his influence. Although he has experienced many ups and downs in his career, Ronaldo has always been a symbol of natural talent, resilience and a desire to constantly improve, leaving a deep mark in the history of world football.
7. Alfredo Di Stefano (2 Golden Balls)
Alfredo Di Stefano is one of the greatest players in football history and especially in the history of Real Madrid. With his natural talent and comprehensive playing style, Di Stefano contributed to building a solid foundation for Real Madrid to become the most powerful team in Europe in the 1950s. Under the Spanish team, he won 8 La Liga championships and 5 European Cup titles, the predecessor of the Champions League, a record that no one could match at that time.
Di Stefano was also one of the first to win the Ballon d’Or, winning it twice in 1957 and 1959, confirming his excellence not only at club level but also at international level. In 1989, he was awarded the Super Ballon d’Or, a special award that has only been awarded once in the history of football. The award honours Di Stefano as the best player of the previous three decades, a fitting reward for his illustrious career and his immense contribution to world football. Di Stefano is not only a legend of Real Madrid, but also a global football icon.
6. Franz Beckenbauer (2 Ballon d’Ors)
Franz Beckenbauer is one of the greatest defenders in football history and the only player in this position to be included in the list of legends. With a strong, calm and extremely solid playing style, Beckenbauer was not only a solid wall in the defense but also a leader of his teammates, helping to build a stable and effective team. His ability to read the game and his tactical vision made Beckenbauer an irreplaceable legend in the history of world football.
In his illustrious career, Beckenbauer won every noble title a player could dream of. He won the World Cup with the German team in 1974, won the Euro 1972, and won many European Cup titles with Bayern Munich. In addition, he helped Bayern dominate the German Bundesliga for many years, affirming his position not only at the national team level but also at the club level. Beckenbauer is a symbol of perfection in football, a complete player that any team would love to have.
5. Johan Cruyff (3 Golden Balls)
Johan Cruyff is one of the greatest legends in football history, not only because of his outstanding playing talent but also because of the profound influence he left on the way he played. Cruyff won the Golden Ball three times in 1971, 1973 and 1974, affirming his excellence during the peak of his career. He was an important nucleus in the “Total Attack” style of play, a revolutionary football philosophy developed by coach Rinus Michels, and became a symbol of FC Barcelona and Dutch football.
After retiring, Cruyff continued to instill his flamboyant attacking philosophy in the teams he coached, especially Barcelona. Under his leadership, Barca won four major trophies in 1992, including the European Cup (the precursor to the Champions League), one of the greatest achievements in the club’s history. Cruyff was not only a talented player but also a great strategist, who changed the way football was played and created an everlasting legacy for Barcelona and the world of football.
4. Marco van Basten (3 Ballon d’Or)
Marco van Basten is considered one of the best strikers in football history, known for his exquisite finishing ability and skillful handling of the ball. During his career spanning over 400 matches, he scored 307 goals, an impressive record that clearly demonstrated Van Basten’s outstanding talent. It was this excellent form that helped the former Dutch player win three Ballon d’Or awards in 1988, 1989 and 1992, affirming his position in world football.
However, Van Basten’s career was severely interrupted by a serious knee injury at the age of 28. This prevented him from continuing to maintain his peak form and forced him to retire at the age of 30, a regrettable end for an outstanding talent. Although his playing career did not last as long as expected, Van Basten still left a deep impression on fans, not only thanks to his personal achievements but also as one of the symbols of Dutch and European football.
3. Michel Platini (3 Ballons d’Or)
Michel Platini is one of the greatest players in football history, known for his creativity, tactical vision and technical prowess. He won three Ballons d’Or in three consecutive years (1983, 1984, 1985), a rare achievement, with these awards coming during his time at Juventus in Italy. At Juventus, Platini not only made his mark with his top performances but also helped the team win many important titles, including national championships and European Cups.
At the national team level, Platini also left a deep mark when he helped the French team win Euro 1984, where he was the brightest star of the tournament and the player with the most goals. However, despite Platini’s extremely successful international career, he could not get his hands on the World Cup trophy, a regrettable thing in his career. After retiring, Platini continued to have a major influence in football, serving as president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) from 2007 to 2015, where he played a key role in the development and improvement of European football competitions and policies.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (5 Ballons d’Or)
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players in football history, with a glittering career. He won five Ballons d’Or in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017, cementing his place in the world of football. For a long time, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have formed one of the most notable rivalries in history, with a constant competition for individual accolades and success at club and international level.
At the age of 38, Ronaldo continues to write new pages of history, becoming the player with the most goals in football history with 850 goals. Although he has moved to play for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo’s form has not diminished. He continues to maintain his sharpness on the pitch, with 6 goals in his last 3 appearances, showing that “CR7” is still one of the top strikers even in the final stage of his career. Ronaldo’s career is not only a story of titles and records, but also a testament to his perseverance and relentless desire to reach the top.
1. Lionel Messi (8 Golden Balls)
Lionel Messi, the Argentine superstar, is currently the player who has won the most Golden Balls in football history, with a total of 8 times. Messi’s Ballon d’Or titles came in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and most recently in 2023, affirming his dominance over the past decade. These titles not only reflect Messi’s outstanding talent but also demonstrate his ability to maintain his peak performance over the years.
Not only successful on an individual level, Messi is also the player with the most collective titles in football history, with a total of 44 major titles, including La Liga, Champions League, Copa America and most recently the 2022 World Cup. Messi’s latest success, winning his 8th Ballon d’Or at this year’s awards ceremony, continues to add to his unprecedented collection of titles, cementing Messi’s position as one of the greatest players in the history of world football.
Conclusion
Above, we have introduced to you who has the most ballon d’or awards, the legends who have contributed to the glory of the king sport with their talent and outstanding achievements. Hopefully, the information in the article will help you have a deeper insight into these great players, and at the same time inspire those who love football. Thank you for following the article, and wish you have more interesting knowledge about the world of football.
See more: Top 10 fastest players to reach 100 career goals in the Premier League
