Global Football Royalty - Ballon d'Or

The Ballon d'Or ( means Golden Ball) is an annual football award presented by France Football. It has been awarded since 1956 and is considered one of the most prestigious individual awards in the sport. The award is given to the best-performing footballer in the world over the previous calendar year.

Originally, the Ballon d'Or was open only to European players playing for European clubs. However, in 1995, eligibility was extended to include all players from around the world, regardless of their club or country. The voting for the award is conducted by a panel of international journalists, coaches, national team captains, and managers.

Lionel Messi won the men’s Ballon d’Or for a record-extending eighth time this year after fulfilling his life’s ambition by leading Argentina to the World Cup title in Qatar last year. Bonmatí, 25, a midfielder, won the women’s Ballon d’Or, after helping her club team, Barcelona, win Europe’s biggest tournament, the Champions League.

Lionel Messi has won the award a record eight times, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five. Messi is the only player in history to win the award with three different teams and the only one to win it while playing outside Europe.