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List of top 10 players who have ever shone with the most number of Ballon d’Or awards wins!

The Ballon d’Or is one of the most famous awards in world football, given annually to the best male player according to a vote among journalists worldwide.

The award has remained for the last several decades as a trademark of unrivaled skill, massive dedication, and pitch influence.

To celebrate these huge achievements as well as their contribution to the beautiful game, we move into the glittering careers of the top 10 players with the most Ballon d’Or awards.

It is from among such players that emerge a lot of personal award winners and, at the same time, leave very formidable marks at their respective clubs and national teams, thereby inspiring many other footballers.

This struggle for the Ballon d’Or has at many times mirrored the huge rivalries and dominant eras of the game’s history, from Lionel Messi’s mesmerizing dribbling skills to Cristiano Ronaldo’s scoring ability, unmatched by any other player.

Certain players, over time, have risen several times and gained more than one Ballon d’Or title, hence cementing their status to be truly looked upon as legends of the game.

Let us, for a moment, journey down memory lane with these footballing geniuses and relive the magic that earned them their place in the annals of footballing history.

Top 10 Players With The Most Ballon d’Or Awards

10. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – 2

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is a genius on the football field both in terms of his technical ability and his leadership. Well, Rummenigge did win that highest prize for a player—Ballon d’Or—even twice, marking him as one of the best in the beautiful game.

He became a winner in 1980 and 1981, just at the end of his very successful journey with Bayern Munich and the West German national team.

Due to his versatility, Rummenigge did well both as a forward and a midfielder, competing beneficially with Bayern Munich during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

He led the team to more than one Bundesliga championship and European championships. His speed, precision, and feel for tactics—opacity, if you will—made him a feared opponent, for at any time he could turn around a match on his own.

Internationally, Rummenigge was just as influential. He appeared at three World Cups and was a crucial part of the West German team that won the 1980 European Championship and finished as runner-up at the 1982 World Cup.

Outside the pitch, Rummenigge continued in football—and ministerially, after retirement. He was the CEO of Bayern Munich and was able to lead the club further into continued success, thus commanding an allowance of influence on the game way beyond his playing days.

Back-to-back Ballon d’Or successes by Rummenigge in 1980 and 1981 respectively put him by any measure as an outstanding talent whose contributions to the sport have survived to this very day, thus making this player one of the most iconic figures in football history.

9. Kevin Keegan – 2

Kevin Keegan is one of the leading names in football, who is supposed to be known for his dynamic playing abilities, along with outstanding charisma on and off the pitch. In his career, Keegan won two Ballons d’Or—in 1978 and 1979—and took a place in the line of greats.

Keegan’s career launched when he was with Liverpool. He was one of the main stalwarts behind their success. His brilliant skills, speed, and imagination made Liverpool capture many domestic and international titles like the Champions League of UEFA.

His brilliant performance for Liverpool was rewarded by a move to Hamburg, where again he proved his mettle with the help of, his German club and won the Bundesliga before losing in the final of the most famous European Cup.

He was a very versatile player—a forward and midfielder who adjusted to different fields, did well in them, and turned out to be a very valued person for every team he played with.

Keegan is known for his hard work; considering him a tireless attacker trying to do everything possible to make his mark in the game has earned him great respect.

Keegan served to inspire the world of football even beyond his playing days. He moved into management and brought this very same passion and charisma into various management positions, running teams like Newcastle United and Fulham with great distinction.

He became an immortal legend of the game, remembered through his incredible skill and charismatic personality that had a very huge impact on football.

8. Alfredo Di Stefano – 2

Alfredo Di Stéfano is said to be the most complete football player ever witnessed in the game. He was twice a Ballon d’Or winner, in 1957 and 1959, after his dynamism on the field made him a legend of the beautiful game.

What can be associated with Alfredo Di Stéfano in his career is Real Madrid. Di Stéfano made up the core and hallmark of the golden generation of the club during the 1950s and 1960s.

It was his arrival in Real Madrid that shouldered the team to a glacier-like force, making them triumph in five consecutive European Cups (now called Champions League) from 1956 to 1960.

His influence did not remain limited to forward play as he influenced equally well in midfield and sometimes even in the defensive roles, attributing much to his versatility.

Nicknamed “Saeta Rubia” (Blonde Arrow) for his speed and precision, Di Stefano’s scoring ability was unrivaled. He scored a great total of 216 goals in 282 La Liga appearances for Real Madrid—which catapults him into the top-scoring category in the history of THIS great club.

Things on the international scene were not that straightforward for Di Stefano either, because he played for three national teams: Argentina, Colombia, and Spain.

His qualification to play in these was by rules, which were permitted at the time. This strange factor in his career records means he never played in a World Cup—perhaps the sole chink in the air of an otherwise glittering resume.

But beyond his playing days, Di Stefano has retained an indelible mark on the beautiful game. He became a manager, taking the reins at Boca Juniors and Valencia, and even managing Real Madrid at one time in his career.

The influence of Di Stefano on the game is multisectoral. He became a legend not because of the titles he won or the individual awards that were showered upon him but because of the impetus he gave to the tactical evolution of football.

With two times winning the Ballon d’Or, Alfredo Di Stefano comes to be an eternal icon of his unparalleled skill and the eternal legacy left behind in football.

7. Ronaldo – 2

Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, more famously called “Ronaldo,” is variously christened “The Phenomenon,” and not without reason.

The way he played the beautiful game, handling the ball with such deft grace and clinical finishing, sets him as one of the very best who ever kicked the leather ball around a football pitch; he was twice awarded the very highly coveted Ballon d’Or—in 1997 and 2002.

Still young, Ronaldo’s career took off when playing for Cruzeiro in Brazil. Unavoidably, the incredible quality of his dribbling, speed, and extent of his goal-scoring ability came to the attention of European clubs, which caused his transfer to PSV Eindhoven.

Thereafter, he only continued to perform better. Soon he found himself very established in the biggest clubs in Europe, such as Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and AC Milan.

In 1997, he won his first Ballon d’Or, becoming the youngest Ballon d’Or winner at that time, aged 21. The year 2002 was really special for Ronaldo as he led Brazil to victory in the FIFA World Cup, netting eight times.

Among them were two in the final against Germany, which thus not only secured him a second Ballon d’Or but also confirmed him as one of football’s greatest-ever players.

His game was unmistakable, with a flair, speed, and finishing that left a second-to-none impression. The ease with which he used to glide past defenders combined with sharp instincts in front of goal made him an irresistible force in his prime.

He faced many injuries in the course of his career, but it was a mental and physical fortitude that made Ronaldo come back not once, not twice, but multiple times.

In the International arena, he was an important player for the Brazilian side, with a record of 62 goals in 98 appearances. Among his honors can be mentioned two World Cups—in 1994 and 2002—and two Copa America titles.

His playing days are well out of the way, Ronaldo is still active in the game. He had been an owner and president of Real Valladolid and Cruzeiro, hence contributing support to the sport through administrative and leadership capacities.

The legacy Ronaldo left behind is that of great potential and sheer perseverance. In the game of football, he will forever be an icon.

6. Franz Beckenbauer – 2

Franz Beckenbauer is one of those very few players who have won the Ballon d’Or more than once in their lives. He is regarded as one of the greatest football legends born in Germany, nicknamed “Der Kaiser” for his style on and domination of the ball on the pitch.

Beckenbauer also became the first-ever German to be awarded the prestigious Ballon d’Or twice, in 1972 and 1976. These awards represent a golden age in the history of German football and that of Beckenbauer.

The first came the same year he and West Germany captured the European Championship. Beckenbauer was called instrumental to their championship run.

The second came a year after leading West Germany to the 1974 World Cup title. However, what makes Beckenbauer stand out is not so much the number of his Ballon d’Or wins but the revolution he brought to the game.

As one of the greatest defenders ever, he renovated the role of a sweeper to join defensive strength with the capacity for starting attacks from deep. Such an innovative style of playing was an essential factor when the judges decided to award him the highest individual award in football.

What is so tremendous about Beckenbauer’s Ballon d’Or achievements is that he competed in an era that included other football legends, such as Johan Cruyff and Gerd Müller.

For one, his place in the top 10 players with the most Ballon d’Or awards only cemented his status as an all-time great of football, underlining a career that mixed individual brilliance with team success at the very highest level.

5. Marco van Basten – 3

Marco van Basten deserves a place within that elite group of players who have won the most Ballon d’Or awards—a Dutch strike sensation.

He properly belongs in this list of the greatest, having won three golden balls, as his exceptional skill, goal-scoring ability, and overall impact on the beautiful game shine through in what was an unfortunately brief but brilliant career.

The three Ballon d’Or triumphs of Van Basten came in quick succession: 1988, 1989, and 1992—a kind of dominance reached by very few players in the history of football.

What separated van Basten from others, though, was that he managed to put fantastic technical ability together with physical attributes. At 6’2″, he had the strength and aerial ability that one would associate with a target man, yet he had the agility, ball control, and finishing of a much smaller player.

So, able to score goals in just about every way, from acrobatic volleys to delicate chips, he turned into a nightmare for defenders but a joy for viewers.

Perhaps the most poignant single aspect of van Basten’s Ballon d’Or legacy is that it might have been even greater. Forced by persistent ankle injuries, retirement came as early as the age of 28, curtailing a career that seemed destined for further laurels.

He had won numerous domestic and European titles with Ajax and AC Milan—proof that individual awards were accompanied by collective success at the very highest level.

4. Johan Cruyff – 3

Johan Cruyff is, without a doubt, one of the most influential figures in football history—the Dutch maestro who transformed football as a player and later as a coach.

His three Ballon d’Or awards simply mean that there is no one as talented and imaginative, combined with the huge influence that he had on the game as a player.

His first win came after leading Ajax to a treble, including the European Cup. The subsequent awards highlighted his role in establishing the Netherlands as a footballing power, culminating in their memorable chase to the final of the 1974 World Cup.

He was the face of “Total Football,” a tactical approach that emphasized versatility, fluid positioning, and constant movement.

Generations of players and coaches were influenced by his philosophy—most notably at Barcelona, where he set in motion a style of play for the club.

It’s because of this long-lasting impact that his Ballon d’Or achievements are so great, representing just but a small tip of what he contributed to the beautiful game of football.

He was much more than just a great player; he was a pioneer who changed football and people’s perception of the game. So his position among the greatest Ballon d’Or winners befitted an extraordinary career that went beyond the rim of individual distinction and left its mark on the game.

3. Michel Platini – 3

Michel Platini is a French football legend who perpetuates his position as the most bemedaled player ever produced in the Ballon d’Or.

More of a fact, it immortalizes his place among the greatest players ever to exist, which landmarked successive triumphs from the year 1983 through 1985 in the same elite competition.

Platini’s dominant display in Ballon d’Or came when he was having that golden period with Juventus and leading the French national team to great heights.

In 1983, he led France to a European Championship victory, becoming the top scorer in that tournament. Over the next two years, Platini led Juventus to numerous titles, including the 1985 European Cup.

Truly exceptional was Platini’s ability to be able to control and dictate the game’s rhythm from midfield. Though not very big, his vision, technique, and footballing brain were second to none.

Platini is famous for the free kicks he struck and for timing appearances in the box late to score important goals, a characteristic that saw him top the scoring charts in Serie A three seasons in succession.

He provided the impulse behind the rebirth of French football in the 1980s, guiding his national team to glory and thus inspiring a whole generation of players in his homeland.

Apart from his playing career, Platini’s influence extended into the post-playing career, where he became a prominent figure in the administration of football.

Platini’s place among the elite group of Ballon d’Or multiple winners underlines a career characterized by relentless excellence and creative gameplay that has its mark left in the beautiful game.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo – 5

Cristiano Ronaldo is the Portuguese star who, with his five golden balls, became one of the most decorated players in Ballon d’Or history.

What he did is incredible; it puts him in a different category—a career marked by relentless ambition, unparalleled work ethic, and consistent brilliance at the highest level in the sport.

His Ballon d’Or journey began way back in 2008, the year he played for Manchester United, playing a massive role in the Premier League-Champions League double.

He would have to wait another five years for his next win in 2013, beginning a period of dominance where he won four out of five years from 2013 to 2017 for some incredible performances, mostly during his time at Real Madrid.

From being an unpredictable winger in his early years to turning into one of the deadliest forwards the beautiful game of football has ever seen, Ronaldo has continuously reinvented himself to stay at the top.

His goal-scoring records are just incredible; he has scored over 800 career goals for club and country. It is in this that Ronaldo has had the edge over other athletes to clinch the Ballon d’Or: he can rise to the biggest occasions, especially in the Champions League, where he is the all-time top scorer.

He won league titles in England, Spain, and Italy; he won multiple Champions League trophies and also led Portugal to winning ways at Euro 2016 and the UEFA Nations League.

His fierce rivalry with Lionel Messi in winning these Ballon d’Ors has defined an age of football; in turn, this has pushed both onto another stratosphere, where fans and pundits will be handed a debate for generations to come.

Well, as Ronaldo’s playing days go on and on, his legacy is already secured as one of the Ballon d’Or icons—through which individual performance is epitomized in the most popular sport globally.

1. Lionel Messi – 8

Lionel Messi of Argentina has won an unprecedented 8 Ballon d’Or awards, towering over all others in the annals of the Ballon d’Or.

Still, it is this extraordinary achievement that ushers him not only as one of the greatest footballers ever to play but quite possibly as the best the game had ever seen.

He was awarded the Ballon d’Or in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023—heading into an era of dominance the beautiful game had never witnessed before.

His victories are worthy of applause because his skillfulness is otherworldly; matched with unmatched dribbling ability, vision in passing, and prolific goal-scoring, he was simply unmatched.

In all the Ballon d’Or-winning years, Messi had been the cog of one of the greatest club sides in history in Barcelona. His genius became a guarantee for success, with quite a few La Liga titles, Champions League victories, and domestic cups adding to the kitty.

Finally, in 2022, he achieved the greatest prize at the international level, leading Argentina to the World Cup title, which helped seal a record 8 Ballon d’Or.

This impact from Messi goes beyond statistics, although the numbers are staggering. He is a forward who has almost redefined what a forward should do—dropping deep to orchestrate that play but still able to get an incredible goal-scoring record.

For Messi, the string of magic that he continues to weave on the field, the 8 Ballon d’Or titles have been simply colossal in the line of rewards for his unmatched skill, consistency, and violence in the beautiful game.

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