Ballon d'Or

The Ballon d'Or is an annual football award presented by French news magazine France Football since 1956. Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year and known as the FIFA Ballon d'Or. That partnership ended in 2016, and the award reverted to the Ballon d'Or, while FIFA also reverted to its own separate annual award The Best FIFA Men's Player. The recipients of the joint FIFA Ballon d'Or are considered as winners by both award organisations. The Ballon d’Or has historically been regarded as football’s most prestigious and valuable individual award. Nevertheless, in recent times, critics have described the award as a "popularity contest", criticising its voting process, its bias in favour of attacking players, and for the idea of systematically singling out an individual in a team sport.

Ballon d'Or celebrities and shorts

Browse through interesting facts and details about famous personalities who received a Ballon d'Or. Enjoy bios of famous Ballon d'Or recipients, learn fun and fascinating facts about them, and discover more famous award winners around the world. Want to know more about famous Ballon d'Or recipients like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane, or Kaká? You're in the right place. Are we missing someone? Write us and let us know, the Combster family is here for you.