Timeline of Significant Events in Ballon d'Or History
Here is a timeline of significant events in the Ballon d'Or Awards. See also our article about Ballon d'Or history, and the list of winners.
- 1956 — The inaugural men's Ballon d'Or award was awarded, presented by France Football to English player Stanley Matthews.
- 1958 — Raymond Kopa was the first Frenchman to win the award.
- 1963 — Russian goalkeeper Lev Yashin became the only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d'Or award.
- 1972 — The first three placegetters in 1972 were from Germany.
- 1995 — The eligibility rules were changed, allowing non-European players playing in European clubs to be nominated.
- 1995 — George Weah from Liberia was the first non-European and first African national team player to win the award.
- 1997 — Brazilian Ronaldo is the youngest ever player to win the Ballon d'Or, he was only 21 years and 96 days when he won in 1997. He also became the first South American winner in 1997.
- 2007 — The Ballon d'Or expanded its eligibility criteria to include players from any league worldwide.
- 2009 — Lionel Messi won his first Ballon d'Or award, the first of eight (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 & 2023).
- 2010 — the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year awards were merged to create the FIFA Ballon d'Or.
- 2016 — the partnership with FIFA came to an end, and the Ballon d'Or award was re-established .
- 2018 — the first women's Ballon d'Or award was presented (called the Ballon d'Or Féminin), won by Ada Hegerberg of Norway. The Kopa Trophy for the for best young men's player was first presented.
- 2019 — The Yashin Trophy for best male goalkeeper was first presented.
- 2020 — The Ballon d'Or was canceled for the first time in its history due to the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting the football calendar.
- 2021 — It was the first time two more awards were given, the Best Club and Best Striker of the Year.
- 2022 — The award criteria shifted from calendar-year performances to performances across the football season, better aligning with the sport's structure.
- 2022 — The Socrates Award, which acknowledges the humanitarian work by a champion footballer, was first presented
- 2024 — Starting from 2024, UEFA will co-organize the event with French media company Groupe Amaury. New awards for the men's and women's coach of the year were also introduced.
Related Pages
- Ballon d'Or Firsts
- Ballon d'Or Home
- Men's Ballon d'Or Winner's List
- Ballon d'Or Winners (who has won the most times)
- Football Awards Lists
- Ballon d'Or Quiz
- See also the list of the FIFA male player of the year and FIFA female player of the year.
- History of the Ballon d'Or
- More sporting trivia
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