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Ballon d’Or
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Lionel Messi, wearing a dark suit and tie, smiles while holding the Ballon d'Or trophy in front of a backdrop with red and white logos. Cristiano Ronaldo, wearing a black suit and tie, smiles while holding the Ballon d'Or trophy in front of a backdrop with France Football logos. Alexia Putellas and Harry Kane stand onstage holding Ballon d'Or trophies, Putellas in a white gown and Kane in a black tuxedo. Ousmane Dembele smiles and holds up the Men's Ballon d'Or trophy while wearing a black suit at the 69th Ballon d'Or Ceremony in Paris. Luka Modric holds the 2018 Ballon d'Or trophy, smiling as his mother Radojka kisses his cheek and his father Stipe stands beside them. Ronaldo, wearing a Real Madrid jersey, smiles while holding the Golden Ball and FIFA Best Player trophies on the field, with blurred players in blue uniforms behind him. French footballing legend Zinedine Zidane
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Lionel Messi, wearing a dark suit and tie, smiles while holding the Ballon d'Or trophy in front of a backdrop with red and white logos.
Messi magic Lionel Messi, who played for FC Barcelona and Argentina, after receiving his first Ballon d'Or award on December 6, 2009. Messi won the award a record eight times.

Ballon d’Or

One of football’s most prestigious individual awards
Also known as: Golden Ball
Written by
Tushaar Kuthiala
Tushaar Kuthiala has over a decade of experience in news media, content creation, and digital marketing. Over the course of his career, Tushaar has written features and articles on sports, geopolitics,...
Tushaar Kuthiala
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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‱History

The Ballon d’Or (French: “Golden Ball”) is considered one of the most prestigious individual honors in football (soccer). First presented in 1956, it has since been awarded annually to football players based on their individual brilliance, team success, and fair play. Each year a panel of journalists from around the world votes to choose the winning footballer from a short list. England’s Stanley Matthews won the inaugural Ballon d’Or (then the European Footballer of the...

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