Before the winner of Ballon d’or 2022 is known, Africa Top Sports brings you the list of all the winners since foundation in 1956 to Lionel Messi‘s seventh triumph last year.
1956 : Stanley Matthews (England)
1957 : Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain)
1958 : Raymond Kopa (France)
1959 : Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain)
1960 : Luis Suarez (Spain)
1961 : Omar Sivori (Italy)
1962 : Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia)
Read more : Ballon d’or 2022 Top 5 ranking leaked ahead of ceremony
1963 : Lev Yachine (URSS)
1964 : Denis Law (Scotland)
1965 : Eusebio (Portugal)
1966 : Bobby Charlton (England)
1967 : Florian Albert (Hungary)
1968 : George Best (Northern Ireland)
1969 : Gianni Rivera (Italy)
1970 : Gerd Müller (Germany)
1971 : Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1972 : Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
1973 : Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1974 : Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
1975 : Oleg Blokhine (URSS)
1976 : Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
1977 : Alan Simonsen (Denmark)
1978 : Kevin Keegan (England)
1979 : Kevin Keegan (England)
1980 : Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany)
1981 : Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany)
1982 : Paolo Rossi (Italy)
1983 : Michel Platini (France)
1984 : Michel Platini (France)
1985 : Michel Platini (France)
1986 : Igor Belanov (URSS)
1987 : Ruud Gullit (Netherlands)
1988 : Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1989 : Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1990 : Lothar Matthäus (Germany)
1991 : Jean-Pierre Papin (France)
1992 : Marco van Basten (Netherlands)
1993 : Roberto Baggio (Italy)
1994 : Hristo Stoïchkov (Bulgaria)
1995 : George Weah (Liberia)
1996 : Matthias Sammer (Germany)
1997 : Ronaldo (Brasil)
1998 : Zinédine Zidane (France)
1999 : Rivaldo (Brasil)
2000 : Luis Figo (Portugal)
2001 : Michael Owen (England)
2002 : Ronaldo (Brasil)
2003 : Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic)
2004 : Andrei Shevchenko (Ukraine)
2005 : Ronaldinho (Brasil)
2006 : Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
2007 : Kaka (Brasil)
2008 : Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2009 : Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2010 : Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2011 : Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2012 : Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2013 : Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2014 : Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2015 : Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2016 : Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2017 : Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
2018 : Luka Modric (Croatia)
2019 : Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2020 : suspended due to Covid-19
2021 : Lionel Messi (Argentina)
2022 : TBD