Politics

Ballon d’Or: Complete List Of Winners From 1956 To 2024

Published

2 days ago

September 22, 2025

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The Ballon d’Or has shaped football history since it was introduced in 1956, with some of the game’s greatest names etched into its legacy.

Blackpool’s Stanley Matthews became the first winner in 1956, while Real Madrid icons Alfredo Di Stéfano and Raymond Kopa dominated the early years. Legends like Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, George Best, and Michel Platini later defined different eras.

In modern times, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo turned the Ballon d’Or into a two-man rivalry that spanned more than a decade. Messi, with a record eight titles, remains the most decorated player in Ballon d’Or history. Cristiano Ronaldo follows with five.

Luka Modrić, Karim Benzema, and most recently Manchester City’s Rodri, who lifted the 2024 prize after a treble-winning campaign, are among those who broke their dominance.

Recognising the growing power of women’s football, France Football introduced the Ballon d’Or Féminin in 2018. Ada Hegerberg won the historic first edition, followed by U.S. star Megan Rapinoe in 2019. Spain’s Alexia Putellas went back-to-back in 2021 and 2022, before Aitana Bonmatí carried the torch in 2023 and 2024.

With debates, rivalries, and moments of controversy, the Ballon d’Or remains football’s ultimate personal accolade, celebrating brilliance and defining legacies.

Below is the complete list of Ballon d’Or winners:

Men’s Ballon d’Or winners

1956 – Stanley Matthews (Blackpool / England)
1957 – Alfredo Di Stéfano (Real Madrid / Spain-Argentina)
1958 – Raymond Kopa (Real Madrid / France)
1959 – Alfredo Di Stéfano (Real Madrid / Spain-Argentina)
1960 – Luis Suárez (Barcelona / Spain)
1961 – Omar Sívori (Juventus / Italy-Argentina)
1962 – Josef Masopust (Dukla Prague / Czechoslovakia)
1963 – Lev Yashin (Dynamo Moscow / USSR)
1964 – Denis Law (Manchester United / Scotland)
1965 – Eusébio (Benfica / Portugal)
1966 – Bobby Charlton (Manchester United / England)
1967 – Florian Albert (Ferencváros / Hungary)
1968 – George Best (Manchester United / Northern Ireland)
1969 – Gianni Rivera (AC Milan / Italy)
1970 – Gerd Müller (Bayern Munich / West Germany)
1971 – Johan Cruyff (Ajax / Netherlands)
1972 – Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Munich / West Germany)
1973 – Johan Cruyff (Barcelona / Netherlands)
1974 – Johan Cruyff (Barcelona / Netherlands)
1975 – Oleg Blokhin (Dynamo Kyiv / USSR)
1976 – Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Munich / West Germany)
1977 – Allan Simonsen (Borussia Mönchengladbach / Denmark)
1978 – Kevin Keegan (Hamburg / England)
1979 – Kevin Keegan (Hamburg / England)
1980 – Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich / West Germany)
1981 – Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich / West Germany)
1982 – Paolo Rossi (Juventus / Italy)
1983 – Michel Platini (Juventus / France)
1984 – Michel Platini (Juventus / France)
1985 – Michel Platini (Juventus / France)
1986 – Igor Belanov (Dynamo Kyiv / USSR)
1987 – Ruud Gullit (AC Milan / Netherlands)
1988 – Marco van Basten (AC Milan / Netherlands)
1989 – Marco van Basten (AC Milan / Netherlands)
1990 – Lothar Matthäus (Inter Milan / West Germany)
1991 – Jean-Pierre Papin (Marseille / France)
1992 – Marco van Basten (AC Milan / Netherlands)
1993 – Roberto Baggio (Juventus / Italy)
1994 – Hristo Stoichkov (Barcelona / Bulgaria)
1995 – George Weah (AC Milan / Liberia)
1996 – Matthias Sammer (Borussia Dortmund / Germany)
1997 – Ronaldo Nazário (Inter Milan / Brazil)
1998 – Zinedine Zidane (Juventus / France)
1999 – Rivaldo (Barcelona / Brazil)
2000 – Luís Figo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2001 – Michael Owen (Liverpool / England)
2002 – Ronaldo Nazário (Real Madrid / Brazil)
2003 – Pavel Nedvěd (Juventus / Czech Republic)
2004 – Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan / Ukraine)
2005 – Ronaldinho (Barcelona / Brazil)
2006 – Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid / Italy)
2007 – Kaká (AC Milan / Brazil)
2008 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United / Portugal)
2009 – Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2010 – Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2011 – Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2012 – Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2013 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2014 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2015 – Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2016 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2017 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2018 – Luka Modrić (Real Madrid / Croatia)
2019 – Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2020 – Not awarded (COVID-19)
2021 – Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain / Argentina)
2022 – Karim Benzema (Real Madrid / France)
2023 – Lionel Messi (Inter Miami / Argentina)
2024 – Rodri (Manchester City / Spain)

Women’s Ballon d’Or (Ballon d’Or Féminin) winners

2018 – Ada Hegerberg (Lyon / Norway)
2019 – Megan Rapinoe (Reign FC / USA)
2020 – Not awarded (COVID-19)
2021 – Alexia Putellas (Barcelona / Spain)
2022 – Alexia Putellas (Barcelona / Spain)
2023 – Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
2024 – Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)

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Politics

PDP postpones Plateau, Cross River Congress, to fix dew dates

Published

4 hours ago

September 24, 2025

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The National Working Committee, NWC, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has approved the postponement of State Congress for the purpose of electing a new State Executive Committee of the party in Plateau and Cross River States.

This was contained in a statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, on Wednesday in Abuja.

“Consequently, the State Congress in the two states earlier scheduled to hold on Saturday, September 27th 2025 has been postponed to a new date which will be communicated in due course,” the statement said.

According to the statement, the NWC urged all leaders, critical stakeholders, teeming members of the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the media, security agencies and the general public to note the postponement and be guided accordingly.

Politics

2027: Yoruba will occupy top positions in my govt, Hausa-Fulani won’t dominate – Atiku

Published

5 hours ago

September 24, 2025

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Former Vice President Abubakar Atiku has said that if given the mandate in 2027, the Yoruba ethnic group would occupy strategic positions in his government, stressing that Hausa-Fulani won’t dominate.

This was as he stated that he is lucky to have married a Yoruba woman, describing the race as one of the finest species among humanity.

Atiku was reacting to comments that his administration would be a Hausa-Fulani domination if he becomes President in 2027, describing Titi Atiku Abubakar, from Ijesa in Osun State, as a jewel of inestimable value.

In a statement by his Media Consultant, Kola Johnson, the former Vice-President said the interest of the Yoruba will always occupy a topmost place in his policy making and governance if he becomes President in 2027.

“It is for this reason that I count myself extremely lucky indeed to have had a wife from amongst this noble specie of the human race, which by this token implies that the bond uniting me together with the Yoruba is aptly like the genetic bond of a family, and this is why the Yoruba, whether individually or collectively, have always occupied a special place in my heart.

“It is also for this reason that the interest of the Yoruba will always occupy a topmost place in my policy making and governance if by the special Grace of Allah, I am lucky to be president in 2027.

“Therefore, the fear that my ascension to Presidency might lead to Hausa/Fulani domination over Yoruba or other ethnic groups does not only arise, but also is absolutely unfounded because the entire Yoruba stock are my larger extended family and In-laws,” he said.

Politics

N54bn schools renovation: APC chieftain petitions US, UK, seeks visa ban on Otti

Published

5 hours ago

September 24, 2025

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An All Progressives Congress, APC, chieftain and legal practitioner, Eze Chikamnayo, has petitioned the United States, United Kingdom and France, among others, to place visa restriction on Abia State Governor Alex Otti until his administration shows evidence of N54 billion spent for the renovation of public schools in the state.

He also petitioned other countries and international bodies, including Germany, China, Australia, Canada, Britain, Switzerland, the European Union and the African Union.

Addressing a press conference Wednesday in Abuja, Eze Chikamnayo, who is also the convener of the Abia Best Interest Association said the governor and his officials, who, instead of providing empirical evidence of the 51 smart schools for which N54 billion was spent from the state coffers in the last quarter of 2024, resorted to another diversionary tactic.

According to him, the Abia Universal Basic Education Board, ASUBEB, classroom projects being executed with Federal Government counterpart funding are not the same as the smart school projects of the Abia State government.

He said failure or refusal to publish the list, location, contractors and pictures of the purported Smart Public School Projects for which over N78 billion has now been spent between the 2nd quarter of 2023 and the third quarter of 2025 is a clear indication of systemic corruption, impunity, lack of transparency and accountability in governance.

“These troubling realities stand in stark contrast to the said expenditure recorded in the State Government Budget Performance Reports, which, as we earlier observed, is different from other financial inflows recorded under the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and various Federal Intervention Programmes.

“We are, therefore, compelled to take the following additional measures: Write to the governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, China, Australia, Canada, Britain, Switzerland, the European Union and the African Union to deny Mr Alex Otti a visa to the United States of America and the aforementioned countries in order to halt his frequent travels to the United States to enable him to address the serious questions regarding the whereabouts of these funds and the lack of transparency and accountability in his government.”