Every Ballon d’Or Winner Since 2000 – Ranked

The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious individual award in football, so I was delighted when Harry Kane – a fellow Englishman – picked up the trophy. He’s had an incredible season for Bayern and so the award was thoroughly deserved … but that got me thinking – has every Ballon d’Or winner deserved the accolade?

I’m going to rank every Ballon d’Or winning season since the year 2000 (because I’m not as well-versed in football history from before then). I’ll also try to be as impartial as possible – in other words, I haven’t just put Lionel Messi’s eight winning seasons in my top eight spots, despite him being the undisputed GOAT in my eyes. I’ll also try not to hold that fact against any other winners between 2009 and 2023 …

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

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How Did You Win?

Looking back, especially after the Messi-Ronaldo era, it’s hilarious how underwhelming this player’s season was.

27 – Michael Owen (2001)

I should be thrilled for Michael Owen’s 2001 win. He’s an Englishman like myself – the only Englishman since Kevin Keegan in the 70’s to be named world’s best, until Kane came along – and yet he’s one of the most laughable winners of the Ballon d’Or ever.

I’m not saying Owen was a bad player. He had electric pace and lethal finishing which struck fear into the hearts of defenders at the time. I think 2001 was a great year for Liverpool, too, as they lifted the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup (back when that was still a thing). Not the Premier League or the Champions League, mind you, but a cup “treble” to be proud of.

But he wasn’t even the best striker that year! Hasselbaink, Stewart, Henry and Viduka all scored more league goals in the 00/01 season, and then Henry, Hasselbaink, Shearer and van Nistelrooy all scored more in 01/02. I would’ve backed a Thierry Henry win, to be honest … but the competition wasn’t that impressive.

The 2001 Ballon d’Or ceremony was probably the most exciting night of boring Michael Owen’s life. Good for him.

Probably Should’ve Finished Top 3

These players all had great seasons … but someone else was more deserving of the prize.

26 – Pavel Nedved (2003)

Italian football dominated the Ballon d’Or in the late nineties and early noughties. It was considered one of the toughest, most competitive leagues in the world, and as a result a lot of the best players flocked there.

One of the great Serie A players of the era was Pavel Nedved – a cracking attacker for Juventus. He was technically gifted and could create something out of nothing.

All that being said, I have no idea how Thierry Henry didn’t win. 2003 was peak Henry, and was around the point where he became the best Premier League player of all time – even before the 2004 Invincibles.

It’s shocking in hindsight how Henry didn’t win a single Ballon d’Or – and another Serie A player would steal the trophy from him at the next ceremony.

25 – Lionel Messi (2021)

As I said in the intro, I’m trying to be unbiased and fair when it comes to Messi’s Ballon d’Or wins. If I had it my way he’d win every award between 2009 and 2023.

Now that the dust has settled, however, I have to admit that his 2021 win is much more underwhelming than the others. He’d had a typically great season with Barcelona and he won the Copa America with Argentina – the footballing world went wild for Messi’s first international trophy and that translated to a Ballon d’Or. I think a second-place finish would have been reasonable.

2021’s trophy should’ve gone to Robert Lewandowski. He missed out on 2020’s Ballon d’Or due to COVID and he had yet another high-scoring season for Bayern the year after. I’m personally not mad that Messi won, but I agree that it would have been justice to see Lewandowski get his hands on the prize.

Thank god Jorginho didn’t win, like everyone was pushing for back in 2021. That would’ve been a farce.

24 – Andriy Shevchenko (2004)

Pavel Nedved is perhaps a player that people will one day forget, but streets will never forget Andriy Shevchenko in Serie A. For a couple of seasons he was one of the most lethal strikers on the planet.

Again, I would’ve personally given 2004’s Ballon d’Or to Thierry Henry – especially as this was the year of the Arsenal Invincibles.

23 – Luis Figo (2000)

The earliest Ballon d’Or winner on this list, Luis Figo will always be remembered for one thing – his controversial transfer from Barcelona straight to Real Madrid. But hey, at least he got a Ballon d’Or for his troubles. And a pig’s head thrown at him.

He was a tricky, pacey winger who tore up defences both in La Liga and on the international stage for Portugal.

I could’ve seen 2000’s Ballon d’Or going to Zinedine Zidane. He won the Euros with France and had yet enough maestro season as a whole. One of my favourite players of all time.

22 – Ronaldo (2002)

Ronaldo’s (the Brazilian one, to be clear) 2002 World Cup has gone down as one of the greatest individual campaigns in the competition’s history. He scored oodles of goals on the way to lifting the trophy.

… But he didn’t do anything else all season! He had middling league campaigns with Inter Milan and then Real Madrid (mostly thanks to a long-term injury), and it was just the World Cup where he turned up.

Considering how phenomenal he was at that tournament, it would’ve been a little odd if he didn’t then win the Ballon d’Or … but that award is supposed to be won by players who excelled season-wide. Oliver Khan for Germany and Bayern would’ve been the better pick.

21 – Rodri (2024)

God, I remember the absolute bloodbath that was the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony. Nobody knew who to vote for in a post-Messi-Ronaldo era. It felt like anyone could win it … and that whoever won would be one of the least impressive winners for over a decade.

It was a bit strange that Rodri won the Ballon d’Or in 2024 rather than 2023 (the year he won the treble with Man City), but nobody could deny that he was the best midfielder on the planet. He played a vital role in Spain’s 2024 Euros triumph.

Personally, I think I would’ve just given the edge to Vini Jr. He had his best ever season with Real Madrid, even winning the Champions League. But Rodri isn’t a bad winner at all.

Worthy Winners

These players probably deserved to win the award. Mostly thanks to solid World Cup campaigns.

20 – Lionel Messi (2023)

The 22/23 season was an odd one for a player of Lionel Messi’s calibre. Though he was exceptional in France, the PSG fans – and the world at large – turned on him for his lack of goal contributions. That’s the struggle when you’re the GOAT, unfortunately.

He made up for all that, however, by captaining Argentina to a famous 2022 World Cup win (which took place halfway through the 22/23 season due to it being in Qatar). He was incredible across the whole tournament, and thanks to his heroics he finally got the trophy he so desperately craved. His performances on the pitch, both internationally and domestically, warranted the Ballon d’Or in my opinion.

But Erling Haaland would have been an equally worthy winner. He won the treble with Man City and scored a ridiculous number of goals.

19 – Fabio Cannavaro (2006)

Not many people predicted Italy to be the winners of the 2006 World Cup, but thanks to their defensive rigidity – in no small part due to Fabio Cannavaro’s captaincy – they fought their way the trophy.

Cannavaro was a titan at the back – people sometimes talk about “Rolls-Royce” defenders, and he was certainly one of them during the tournament. He wasn’t afraid to battle for the ball and expertly pass it forwards for a counterattack.

It would have been awesome for Gianluigi Buffon to win it for his goalkeeping heroics, but Cannavaro was just as important to that Italy side.

18 – Luka Modric (2018)

Modric was one of the most surprising Ballon d’Or winners of this century. He was the first player to break the Messi-Ronaldo domination … and, as a result, fans of both GOATs have levelled criticisms at this win.

I’d say it’s deserved. Modric won the Champions League with Real Madrid, had excellent league form and took Croatia to the World Cup final. Croatia! That’s one hell of an achievement, well worthy of a Ballon d’Or in my eyes.

But yeah, Ronaldo could’ve won. He was at his ruthless best during Madrid’s Champions League campaign. And I think Messi should’ve ranked higher than fifth place …

17 – Lionel Messi (2010)

2010 was a rare case of a Ballon d’Or not being awarded because of World Cup merits. Messi won it purely for his talents at Barcelona.

Messi became the world’s best in 2009 and he continued this amazing form into the next season. Barcelona once again dominated teams … but they failed to beat Inter Milan in the Champions League, the eventual winners. Weird.

In another universe, Xavi or Iniesta could’ve won for their World Cup campaign with Spain. Wesley Sneijder also could’ve reasonably won for his treble-winning efforts with Inter Milan – and he reached the World Cup final with Netherlands. But I think 2010 Messi was still a better player than all of them.

Great Seasons

There was no debate about who would win these awards.

16 – Cristiano Ronaldo (2016)

For the sake of this list, I’m going to put my Messi bias aside and say that Cristiano Ronaldo deserved all five of his Ballon d’Ors. There’s no doubt that he was an exceptional player, one that thoroughly deserved all the recognition he’s received.

Ronaldo had a great 2016 – he won the Champions League with Real Madrid and, more importantly in terms of this award, he won Portugal’s first major international trophy at the Euros.

That being said … Ronaldo didn’t do much that tournament. He got injured in the final, for one, but I don’t remember him setting the Euros alight. Portugal got a bit lucky to win the thing, truth be told.

Still, Ronaldo’s trophies and goal tally in 2016 speak for themselves.

15 – Ousmane Dembele (2025)

That PSG Champions League winning team is one of the greatest squads I’ve ever seen, both in terms of the quality of football and the sheer number of superstars in the roster.

That actually works against Ousmane Dembele’s 2025 Ballon d’Or win, as any one of those guys could’ve won it. Kvaratskhelia was amazing, for example, and the midfield of Neves, Ruiz and Vitinha ran games.

Dembele still deserves plaudits for his incredible performances. He scored lots of goals, terrorized defences, and played a crucial, crowd-pleasing role in this sextuple-winning side.

14 – Ronaldinho (2005)

Until Harry Kane came along in 2026, 2005 was the closest an Englishman came to winning the Ballon d’Or – and it was two of them! Both Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard had seasons worthy of the award, and they finished second and third respectively.

Unfortunately for them, they came up against prime Ronaldinho.

He was a classy footballer at the peak of his powers. He used skills to dazzle his opponents, his passing was pinpoint, and he dribbled defenders with such speed and fearlessness. 2005 Ronaldinho was one of the best wingers of the decade.

13 – Kaka (2007)

Kaka got overshadowed by the Messi-Ronaldo era that immediately followed, but I think people forget just how much of a baller he was.

As a Man United fan, I’ll never forget how he tore our defence apart in the Champions League. He was the perfect attacking midfielder who could dribble with pace and set up tonnes of key chances every match.

12 – Karim Benzema (2022)

Modric was a bit of a shock winner in 2018, but Karim Benzema in 2022 marked the first time since 2007 a player other than Messi or Ronaldo was favourite to win the Ballon d’Or.

He had an unbelievable season with Real Madrid, especially in the Champions League – I was stunned by the sheer number of last-minute winners and crucial goals he scored en route to the trophy.

11 – Lionel Messi (2009)

The first of Messi’s Ballon d’Or trophies – and the first of his four-peat dominance from 2009 to 2012.

This early version of Messi was unstoppable, mainly because other teams hadn’t yet worked out how to defend against him. He won the sextuple (treble + two “Super Cups” + Club World Cup) with an unbeatable Barcelona team – a feat that has only been repeated twice, by 2020 Bayern and 2025 PSG.

I think most would rank Messi’s 2009 season higher compared to his others based on that sextuple alone … but I believe the best was yet to come.

10 – Cristiano Ronaldo (2013)

2013 was a weird one in terms of Ronaldo’s Ballon d’Or win, because he didn’t win a single major trophy with Real Madrid. I think voters were bored of Messi’s four-peat between 2009 and 2012 …

What you can’t deny, however, was that this was one of Ronaldo’s peaks. He came out of a lethal 2012 season and provided some incredible scoring numbers yet again. There’s a reason he’s the most prolific goal scorer of all time.

9 – Cristiano Ronaldo (2017)

That 2017 Real Madrid team was probably the best side Ronaldo ever played with. They won La Liga and the Champions League, and they left all other competitors in the dust.

Ronaldo was crucial in this dominant side. He’s “Mr. Champions League” for a reason – his two goals in the final helped to defeat Juventus and lift the trophy.

Amazing

These seasons have gone down in footballing history.

8 – Lionel Messi (2019)

I must give a huge shout-out to Virgil van Dijk. He had an amazing season with Champions League winners Liverpool, and he was the best defender of 2019, hands down. I can see why many people wanted him to win the Ballon d’Or that year.

Unfortunately for van Dijk, Messi was just on another level in 2019.

He oftentimes carried what could be a lacklustre Barcelona team – he almost single-handedly took them to an undeserved treble, until losing the Copa del Rey final to Valencia and the Champions League semi-final to an unbelievable Liverpool comeback. At least he led them to yet another La Liga trophy.

7 – Harry Kane (2026)

And so we reach the man of the hour. I was thrilled when Harry Kane won the Ballon d’Or, and yes – I am incredibly biased. He’s worked wonders for my national team, and he used to be amazing in the Premier League, and so I’m glad he’s finally getting worldwide recognition in the Bundesliga.

There’s no point sugar-coating it – Kane is one of the most complete strikers (and footballers in general) I’ve ever seen. I’ve never witnessed a striker who can get a 70-goal season whilst also getting loads of assists and putting in a defensive shift each game. It’s unheard of.

I can see the argument that he wasn’t even the best Bayern player in 2026 (Olise), or the best national team player in 2026 (Bellingham), but I’d personally disagree. Kane has set a new standard for every striker that comes after.

6 – Cristiano Ronaldo (2014)

It’s hard to pinpoint Ronaldo’s “peak” at Real Madrid because he was a world-beater the whole time. I’d say that between 2012 and 2014 he was on another level … but he didn’t win the Ballon d’Or in 2012. And he didn’t win a single trophy for his efforts in 2013.

That leaves 2014 as his Ballon d’Or pinnacle (at least when in Madrid). He’d been through some tough times with Real Madrid since he joined in 2009, winning only one league title and no Champions Leagues, but that all changed in 2014.

He and Real Madrid brought home “La Decima” on a famous night against rivals Atletico Madrid. It was a watershed moment for the club, and they would since go on to win the competition five more times. Their European dominance can largely be attributed to Ronaldo’s legendary goal scoring acumen.

5 – Robert Lewandowski (2020)

The Ballon d’Or wasn’t awarded in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, but there’s absolutely no doubt in anybody’s mind who deserved to win it. They should really retroactively give Robert Lewandowski one … and this is my ranking so I’ll set the record straight.

2020 was the year where Bayern won everything, and they were spearheaded by a prime Lewandowski. He took his goal scoring numbers to another level that year, and dominated every competition he was in.

4 – Lionel Messi (2011)

It’s shocking how many times Messi has almost won a treble, on top of the fact he won two of them. In 2011, for example, he and Guardiola’s Barcelona were at the peak of their powers … but they narrowly lost the Copa del Rey to Mourinho and Ronaldo’s Real Madrid.

I’d still put Messi’s 2011 season over his 2009 sextuple-winning one, purely on the fact that he grew so much as a player. When people refer to “prime Messi” – the goal scoring, passing and dribbling – it’s seasons like this.

Surely he couldn’t one-up himself in the next calendar year … right?

3 – Lionel Messi (2015)

What’s better than a fully-formed Messi who was the star of a nearly treble winning team? A Messi who was the stand-out player of genuine treble-winners. Again. For the second time in six years.

This version of Messi and Barcelona was scary. Alongside Neymar and Suarez, Messi completed the most menacing, most legendary attacking trio of all time – and yet he still stood head and shoulders above his contemporaries.

I’ll never forget his performance against Bayern in the 2015 Champions League semi-final. Some say that Jerome Boateng’s ankles are still broken.

All-Time Great

Nobody will ever reach the highs of these seasons again.

2 – Cristiano Ronaldo (2008)

There was recently a vote for the B.O.A.T. – the “Ballon d’Or Of All Time” – which actually prompted this ranking to begin with. 2008 Ronaldo won that vote, and it doesn’t take a genius to see why.

He worked wonders for my beloved Manchester United, scoring worldies every week and winning a Premier League and Champions League double. He broke the record for most goals in a Premier League season, and from this one season alone he already started getting GOAT shouts.

For my money, I’d say 07/08 Ronaldo was the best ever Premier League season. Salah and Haaland recently got close with impressive numbers, but Ronaldo’s 2008 season got the whole world talking.

1 – Lionel Messi (2012)

Where Ronaldo didn’t win any trophies in 2013 and still won the Ballon d’Or, Messi also had a relatively quiet 2012. Barcelona won both Super Cups as well as the Club World Cup at the very start of the season, but then they’d only go onto win the Copa del Rey (i.e. they lost the league to Madrid and the Champions League to Chelsea).

What I’m trying to say is that I didn’t give Messi’s 2012 season the top spot based only on trophies won. He topped the list due to his extraordinary individual tally.

There are arguments to be made about when Ronaldo’s “prime” was, but Messi’s was undoubtedly in 2012. It was the single greatest season that any professional footballer has ever had – in fact, it rivals all other athletes in terms of personal achievement.

Messi scored 91 goals in a calendar year, a record which nobody has come close to breaking since. He also provided 22 assists, which meant he contributed to 113 goals across 69 matches. He averaged a goal contribution every 53 minutes!

We will never see a player of Messi’s calibre again, and we may never experience a season as strong as 2012’s either.

Aaaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: