Lionel Messi tops Khel Now list of top 10 Ballon d'Or winners
Khel Now published on 2026-10-26 a list of the top 10 players with the most Ballon d'Or awards, led by Lionel Messi, who won the 2023 edition and holds the all-time record for the prize.
The article outlines the Ballon d'Or as a prestigious individual honour awarded after voting by journalists and notes the eligibility shift over time: initially restricted to European players, later extended to players at European clubs, and from 2007 onwards opened to players worldwide. The piece emphasises that winning the award even once is a major achievement and frames the list as a comparison of the sport’s most-decorated individual winners.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is listed as a two-time winner, taking the Ballon d'Or in 1980 and 1981 and described as an FC Bayern Munich and German legend who was a three-time Bundesliga top-scorer and who won two league titles, two European club championships (UCL) and one UEFA Euro with Germany. Kevin Keegan is recorded as a two-time winner in 1978 and 1979 and as a Liverpool club legend who won 11 trophies with the Reds, including three Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League. Alfredo Di Stefano is cited as the 1957 and 1959 Ballon d'Or winner who won the UCL five times with Real Madrid, eight Spanish league titles and five LaLiga Golden Boots, and the article notes he passed away in 2014. The ‘original’ Ronaldo is noted to have won the award in 1997 and 2002, with the article saying his 2002 FIFA World Cup performances helped Brazil lift the trophy and that he played for both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Franz Beckenbauer is recorded as a two-time winner in 1972 and 1976 who won the European Cup/Champions League three times with FC Bayern Munich, five Bundesliga titles and both a World Cup and a European Championship with Germany.
Marco van Basten appears among the three-time winners, having claimed the Ballon d'Or in 1988, 1989 and 1992 and having won one UEFA European Championship with the Netherlands and two Champions League titles with AC Milan. Johan Cruyff is presented as a three-time Ballon d'Or recipient in 1971, 1973 and 1974, credited in the piece with promoting the "Total Football" philosophy, winning the European club trophy three times with Ajax, nine Eredivisie titles and one LaLiga with FC Barcelona. Michel Platini is listed as a consecutive three-time winner in 1983, 1984 and 1985, noted for winning one UEFA European Championship with France, one UCL and two Serie A titles with Juventus, and for having been President of UEFA until 2015.
Cristiano Ronaldo is recorded as a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, taking the prize in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017, and the article adds that he finished second on six occasions. The piece states that between 2008 and 2021 Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or a combined 12 out of 13 times and describes that period as a two-horse race between the pair.
Lionel Messi is presented as the all-time leading Ballon d'Or winner with eight awards, earned in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023, and the article says most of his Ballon d'Or wins came during his FC Barcelona days. The piece also comments, without attribution, that among his long list of achievements this Ballon d'Or record is perhaps the most impressive and that it may never get broken due to Messi’s longevity and consistency at the top level.
The article notes that the first Ballon d'Or recipient was Stanley Matthews in 1956. For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.