Who has won the most Ballon d'Or awards?
Lionel Messi has won the most Ballon d'Or awards, with eight. Cristiano Ronaldo is second with five. Among women, Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí have each won three.
Messi won his first Ballon d'Or in 2009 and added titles in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021, all while playing for Barcelona. His eighth came in 2023, after he led Argentina to victory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he was named the tournament's best player.
Cristiano Ronaldo won in 2008 with Manchester United and in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017 with Real Madrid. For about a decade, Messi and Ronaldo won almost every award between them. Luka Modrić broke their run in 2018. Before them, Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten each won three.
Women's record
The women's Ballon d'Or began in 2018, when Norway's Ada Hegerberg won it. Spain's Alexia Putellas won in 2021, 2022 and 2026, and her Barcelona teammate Aitana Bonmatí won three in a row from 2023 to 2025.
Did You Know?
Michel Platini won three Ballon d'Or awards in a row, from 1983 to 1985, a feat later matched by Messi, who won four in a row from 2009 to 2012.