Chijioke Gabriel
The world of football will turn its spotlight to Paris tonight as the 69th Ballon d’Or ceremony takes centre stage at the historic Théâtre du Châtelet. The glittering event, organised by France Football, will begin at 9:00 p.m. CET and will honour the best performers of the 2024/25 season across several categories.
Top on the list is the Men’s Ballon d’Or, where names like Ousmane Dembélé and rising star Lamine Yamal have emerged as favourites following their exploits for club and country. On the women’s side, attention will focus on standout talents who dominated the past year, with new categories introduced to further spotlight female players.
Other awards include the Kopa Trophy for the best young player, the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper, the Gerd Müller Trophy for top scorer, and the Sócrates Award for humanitarian contributions.
With global broadcast partners streaming the event, millions of fans will be glued to their screens as football’s elite gather under one roof. For many, tonight will not only mark the crowning of individual excellence but also shape debates about the game’s future stars.
FULL LIST OF PAST MEN AND WOMEN WINNERS
Men’s Ballon d’Or Winners
1956 — Stanley Matthews (Blackpool / England)
1957 — Alfredo Di Stéfano (Real Madrid / Spain-Argentina)
1958 — Raymond Kopa (Real Madrid / France)
1959 — Alfredo Di Stéfano (Real Madrid / Spain-Argentina)
1960 — Luis Suárez (Barcelona / Spain)
1961 — Omar Sívori (Juventus / Italy-Argentina)
1962 — Josef Masopust (Dukla Prague / Czechoslovakia)
1963 — Lev Yashin (Dynamo Moscow / USSR)
1964 — Denis Law (Manchester United / Scotland)
1965 — Eusébio (Benfica / Portugal)
1966 — Bobby Charlton (Manchester United / England)
1967 — Florian Albert (Ferencváros / Hungary)
1968 — George Best (Manchester United / Northern Ireland)
1969 — Gianni Rivera (AC Milan / Italy)
1970 — Gerd Müller (Bayern Munich / West Germany)
1971 — Johan Cruyff (Ajax / Netherlands)
1972 — Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Munich / West Germany)
1973 — Johan Cruyff (Barcelona / Netherlands)
1974 — Johan Cruyff (Barcelona / Netherlands)
1975 — Oleg Blokhin (Dynamo Kyiv / USSR)
1976 — Franz Beckenbauer (Bayern Munich / West Germany)
1977 — Allan Simonsen (Borussia Mönchengladbach / Denmark)
1978 — Kevin Keegan (Hamburg / England)
1979 — Kevin Keegan (Hamburg / England)
1980 — Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich / West Germany)
1981 — Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich / West Germany)
1982 — Paolo Rossi (Juventus / Italy)
1983 — Michel Platini (Juventus / France)
1984 — Michel Platini (Juventus / France)
1985 — Michel Platini (Juventus / France)
1986 — Igor Belanov (Dynamo Kyiv / USSR)
1987 — Ruud Gullit (AC Milan / Netherlands)
1988 — Marco van Basten (AC Milan / Netherlands)
1989 — Marco van Basten (AC Milan / Netherlands)
1990 — Lothar Matthäus (Inter Milan / West Germany)
1991 — Jean-Pierre Papin (Marseille / France)
1992 — Marco van Basten (AC Milan / Netherlands)
1993 — Roberto Baggio (Juventus / Italy)
1994 — Hristo Stoichkov (Barcelona / Bulgaria)
1995 — George Weah (AC Milan / Liberia)
1996 — Matthias Sammer (Borussia Dortmund / Germany)
1997 — Ronaldo Nazário (Inter Milan / Brazil)
1998 — Zinedine Zidane (Juventus / France)
1999 — Rivaldo (Barcelona / Brazil)
2000 — Luís Figo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2001 — Michael Owen (Liverpool / England)
2002 — Ronaldo Nazário (Real Madrid / Brazil)
2003 — Pavel Nedvěd (Juventus / Czech Republic)
2004 — Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan / Ukraine)
2005 — Ronaldinho (Barcelona / Brazil)
2006 — Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid / Italy)
2007 — Kaká (AC Milan / Brazil)
2008 — Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United / Portugal)
2009 — Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2010 — Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2011 — Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2012 — Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2013 — Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2014 — Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2015 — Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2016 — Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2017 — Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal)
2018 — Luka Modrić (Real Madrid / Croatia)
2019 — Lionel Messi (Barcelona / Argentina)
2020 — Not awarded (COVID-19)
2021 — Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain / Argentina)
2022 — Karim Benzema (Real Madrid / France)
2023 — Lionel Messi (Inter Miami / Argentina)
2024 — Rodri (Manchester City / Spain)
Women’s Ballon d’Or (Ballon d’Or Féminin) Winners
2018 — Ada Hegerberg (Lyon / Norway)
2019 — Megan Rapinoe (Reign FC / USA)
2020 — Not awarded (COVID-19)
2021 — Alexia Putellas (Barcelona / Spain)
2022 — Alexia Putellas (Barcelona / Spain)
2023 — Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
2024 — Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)