In just over two weeks’ time, the latest winner of the prestigious Ballon d’Or award will be crowned at a ceremony in Paris.
Vinicius Junior, Rodri and Jude Bellingham are the three favourites to claim the accolade after their sensational 2023-24 campaigns.
None of the trio have held the golden ball trophy aloft before and that begs the question; which players have won multiple Ballon d’Ors?
Do not worry, NetBet, the place to be for betting and football odds, has the answers…
Lionel Messi – 8 Ballon d’Ors
When it comes to the Ballon d’Or award, the first name that always springs to mind is Messi.
The Argentine superstar was first voted the best player on the planet in 2009 after helping Barcelona win the treble.
He then went on to win the Ballon d’Or in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021.
Messi’s most recent – and probably final – Ballon d’Or triumph came last year after guiding Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 5 Ballon d’Ors
Another name which is synonymous with the Ballon d’Or. If Rodri does not win the award this year, Ronaldo will remain the last Premier League player to have secured the prize.
The Portugal international won the award way back in 2008 after starring under Sir Alex Ferguson’s guidance at Manchester United.
Ronaldo then achieved Ballon d’Or glory on four separate occasions (2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017) during his record-breaking spell at Real Madrid.
And at the age of 39, he is still scoring goals aplenty for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Michel Platini – 3 Ballon d’Ors
Up next is Juventus and Saint-Etienne legend Platini, who was virtually unstoppable during the 1980s.
His Ballon d’Or wins coincided with a golden period in which he collected major trophies galore and bagged goals for fun.
Platini played a starring role in France’s Euro 1984 success, on top of winning the 1983-84 and 1985-86 Serie A titles and the 1984-85 European Cup with Juve.
Johan Cruyff – 3 Ballon d’Ors
The football icons keep on coming.
A superstar at Ajax and Barcelona, Cruyff is widely regarded as the greatest Dutch player of all time.
His first two Ballon d’Or wins came at Ajax in 1971 and 1973, during the Amsterdam club’s period of dominance – and he then finished as top dog again in 1974 after making an instant impact at the Nou Camp.
Marco van Basten – 3 Ballon d’Ors
Once again, a man who needs no introduction.
Viewed as one of the finest strikers in history, Van Basten scored goals for fun with Ajax, AC Milan and the Dutch national side.
Van Basten won the Ballon d’Or in 1988, 1989 and 1992 – and probably would have won more but for his unfortunate retirement at the age of just 28 due to injury.
Franz Beckenbauer – 2 Ballon d’Ors
Still the only defender to win multiple Ballon d’Ors (1972 and 1976), which is quite the achievement.
Beckenbauer revolutionised the pragmatic side of the game in the 1970s by pioneering the sweeper role. He also won the 1974 World Cup with West Germany and three consecutive European Cups at Bayern Munich.
Ronaldo Nazario – 2 Ballon d’Ors
Brazilian legend Ronaldo first won the Ballon d’Or in 1997 after a stunning season at Barcelona in which he scored 47 goals in 49 games.
He then bounced back from a knee injury nightmare to collect the award again in 2002 following his exploits at that year’s World Cup, when he famously scored eight times and lifted the trophy.
Alfredo di Stefano – 2 Ballon d’Ors
As Real Madrid legends go, few are more loved and adored than the great Di Stefano.
Scorer of a ridiculous amount of goals in the 1950s and 1960s, he won five European Cups in a row with Los Blancos between 1956 and 1960, success which earned him the Ballon d’Or award in 1957 and 1959.
Kevin Keegan – 2 Ballon d’Ors
Younger English football fans may be slightly shocked to see Keegan’s name here, but he was quite the player back in the day – to say the very least.
After a memorable spell at Liverpool, Keegan bravely moved to German side Hamburg, a destination where he won his pair of Ballon d’Ors in 1978 and 1979.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – 2 Ballon d’Ors
Last, but certainly not least, is another Bayern legend in Rummenigge.
A serial goal scorer in Bavaria, Rummenigge won the Ballon d’Or in 1980 after helping West Germany win the Euros and then scooped the big prize again the following year.
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