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BALLON D'OR
INTRODUCTION
The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious individual honour in world football. Founded in 1956, originally the ballon d'Or was for the best European players. In 1995, non-European players playing in Europe became eligible and in 2007 it became a global prize for with players playing in any part of the world being eligible. This page looks at awards from 2007 - 2019 in the following charts and data table:
Charts
1. Ballon d'Or Top 10 Players by League 2007 - 2019
2. Distribution of Nationality of Ballon d'Or Top 10 Players 2007 - 2019
3. Players in Top 10 in Ballon d'Or by Region of World 2007 - 2019
4. Players in Top 10 in Ballon d'Or by Racial/Ethnic Group 2007 - 2019
Data Table
5. Top 10 Players in Ballon d'Or 2007 - 2019 by Nationality, Racial Group, Club and League
The Ballon d'Or top 10 correlates strongly with national team performance in major tournaments especially the World Cup. Spain was dominant in football winning Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012. This is reflected in it's high percentage of top 10 players in the world on those years. It declined after 2012. Germany had 4 of the top 10 in 2014 when it won the World Cup. In most years, Germany hasn't had a player in the top 10. African countries had their strongest year in 2019. French players have had a presence in the top 10 since 2016 with their best year being 2018 when they won the World Cup. Argentina and Portugal have been represented every year due to the dominance of Messi and Ronaldo.
DATA TABLE
5. Top 10 Players in Ballon d'Or 2007 - 2019 by Nationality, Racial Group, Club and League
Year | Rank | Player | Nationality | Racial/Ethnic Group | Club | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | 1 | Kaka | Brazil | White/European | Milan | Italy |
2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain | |
3 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
4 | Didier Drogba | Ivory Coast | Black/African | Chelsea | England | |
5 | Andrea Pirlo | Italy | White/European | Milan | Italy | |
6 | Ruud Van Nistelrooy | Netherlands | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain | |
7 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Sweden | White/European | Internazionale | Italy | |
8 | Cesc Fabregas | Spain | White/European | Arsenal | England | |
9 | Robinho | Brazil | Black/African | Real Madrid | Spain | |
10 | Francesco Totti | Italy | White/European | Roma | Italy | |
2008 | 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | White/European | Manchester United | England |
2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
3 | Fernando Torres | Spain | White/European | Liverpool | England | |
4 | Iker Casillas | Spain | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain | |
5 | Xavi | Spain | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
6 | Andrey Arshavin | Russia | White/European | Zenit | Russia | |
7 | David Villa | Spain | White/European | Valencia | Spain | |
8 | Zlatan Ibrahimovi? | Sweden | White/European | Internazionale | Italy | |
9 | Kaká | Brazil | White/European | Milan | Italy | |
10 | Steven Gerrard | England | White/European | Liverpool | England | |
2009 | 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | White/European | Barcelona | Spain |
2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | White/European | Manchester United / Real Madrid | England/Spain | |
3 | Xavi | Spain | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
4 | Andrés Iniesta | Spain | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
5 | Samuel Eto'o | Cameroon | Black/African | Barcelona / Internazionale | Spain/Italy | |
6 | Kaká | Brazil | White/European | Milan / Real Madrid | Italy/Spain | |
7 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | Sweden | White/European | Internazionale / Barcelona | Italy/Spain | |
8 | Wayne Rooney | England | White/European | Manchester United | England | |
9 | Didier Drogba | Ivory Coast | Black/African | Chelsea | England | |
10 | Steven Gerrard | England | White/European | Liverpool | England | |
2010 | 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | White/European | Barcelona | Spain |
2 | Andrés Iniesta | Spain | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
3 | Xavi | Spain | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
4 | Wesley Sneijder | Netherlands | White/European | Internazionale | Italy | |
5 | Diego Forlán | Uruguay | White/European | Atlético Madrid | Spain | |
6 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain | |
7 | Iker Casillas | Spain | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain | |
8 | David Villa | Spain | White/European | Valencia / Barcelona | Spain | |
9 | Didier Drogba | Ivory Coast | Black/African | Chelsea | England | |
10 | Xabi Alonso | Spain | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain | |
2011 | 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | White/European | Barcelona | Spain |
2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain | |
3 | Xavi | Spain | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
4 | Andrés Iniesta | Spain | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
5 | Wayne Rooney | England | White/European | Manchester United | England | |
6 | Luis Suárez | Uruguay | Mixed (Mestizo) | Ajax / Liverpool | Netherland/England | |
7 | Diego Forlán | Uruguay | White/European | Atlético Madrid / Internazionale | Spain/Italy | |
8 | Samuel Eto'o | Cameroon | Black/African | Internazionale / Anzhi Makhachkala | Italy/Russia | |
9 | Iker Casillas | Spain | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain | |
10 | Neymar | Brazil | Mixed (White/Black) | Santos | Brazil | |
2012 | 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | White/European | Barcelona | Spain |
2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain | |
3 | Andrés Iniesta | Spain | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
4 | Xavi | Spain | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
5 | Radamel Falcao | Colombia | Mixed (Mestizo) | Atlético Madrid | Spain | |
6 | Iker Casillas | Spain | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain | |
7 | Andrea Pirlo | Italy | White/European | Juventus | Italy | |
8 | Didier Drogba | Ivory Coast | Black/African | Chelsea / Shanghai Shenhua | England/China | |
9 | Robin van Persie | Netherlands | White/European | Arsenal / Manchester United | England | |
10 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | Sweden | White/European | Milan / Paris Saint-Germain | Italy/France | |
2013 | 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain |
2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
3 | Franck Ribéry | France | White/European | Bayern Munich | Germany | |
4 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | Sweden | White/European | Paris Saint-Germain | France | |
5 | Neymar | Brazil | Mixed (White/Black) | Santos / Barcelona | Brazil/Spain | |
6 | Andrés Iniesta | Spain | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
7 | Robin van Persie | Netherlands | White/European | Manchester United | England | |
8 | Arjen Robben | Netherlands | White/European | Bayern Munich | Germany | |
9 | Gareth Bale | Wales | White/European | Tottenham Hotspur / Real Madrid | England/Spain | |
10 | Andrea Pirlo | Italy | White/European | Juventus | Italy | |
2014 | 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain |
2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
3 | Manuel Neuer | Germany | White/European | Bayern Munich | Germany | |
4 | Arjen Robben | Netherlands | White/European | Bayern Munich | Germany | |
5 | Thomas Müller | Germany | White/European | Bayern Munich | Germany | |
6 | Philipp Lahm | Germany | White/European | Bayern Munich | Germany | |
7 | Neymar | Brazil | Mixed (White/Black) | Barcelona | Spain | |
8 | James Rodríguez | Colombia | Mixed (Mestizo) | Monaco / Real Madrid | France/Spain | |
9 | Toni Kroos | Germany | White/European | Bayern Munich / Real Madrid | Germany/Spain | |
10 | Ángel Di María | Argentina | Mixed (Mestizo) | Real Madrid / Manchester United | Spain/England | |
2015 | 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | White/European | Barcelona | Spain |
2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain | |
3 | Neymar | Brazil | Mixed (White/Black) | Barcelona | Spain | |
4 | Robert Lewandowski | Poland | White/European | Bayern Munich | Germany | |
5 | Luis Suárez | Uruguay | Mixed (Mestizo) | Barcelona | Spain | |
6 | Thomas Müller | Germany | White/European | Bayern Munich | Germany | |
7 | Manuel Neuer | Germany | White/European | Bayern Munich | Germany | |
8 | Eden Hazard | Belgium | White/European | Chelsea | England | |
9 | Andrés Iniesta | Spain | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
10 | Alexis Sánchez | Chile | Mixed (Mestizo) | Arsenal | England | |
2016 | 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain |
2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
3 | Antoine Griezmann | France | White/European | Atlético Madrid | Spain | |
4 | Luis Suárez | Uruguay | Mixed (Mestizo) | Barcelona | Spain | |
5 | Neymar | Brazil | Mixed (White/Black) | Barcelona | Spain | |
6 | Gareth Bale | Wales | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain | |
7 | Riyad Mahrez | Algeria | Arab | Leicester City | England | |
8 | Jamie Vardy | England | White/European | Leicester City | England | |
9 | Gianluigi Buffon | Italy | White/European | Juventus | Italy | |
10 | Pepe | Portugal | Mixed (White/Black) | Real Madrid | Spain | |
2017 | 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain |
2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
3 | Neymar | Brazil | Mixed (White/Black) | Barcelona / Paris Saint-Germain | Spain/France | |
4 | Gianluigi Buffon | Italy | White/European | Juventus | Italy | |
5 | Luka Modrić | Croatia | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain | |
6 | Sergio Ramos | Spain | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain | |
7 | Kylian Mbappé | France | Black/African | Monaco / Paris Saint-Germain | France | |
8 | N'Golo Kanté | France | Black/African | Chelsea | England | |
9 | Robert Lewandowski | Poland | White/European | Bayern Munich | Germany | |
10 | Harry Kane | England | White/European | Tottenham Hotspur | England | |
2018 | 1 | Luka Modrić | Croatia | White/European | Real Madrid | Spain |
2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | White/European | Real Madrid
Juventus | Spain/Italy | |
3 | Antoine Griezmann | France | White/European | Atlético Madrid | Spain | |
4 | Kylian Mbappé | France | Mixed (Arab/Black) | Paris Saint-Germain | France | |
5 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | White/European | Barcelona | Spain | |
6 | Mohamed Salah | Egypt | Arab | Liverpool | England | |
7 | Raphaël Varane | France | Mixed (White/Black) | Real Madrid | Spain | |
8 | Eden Hazard | Belgium | White/European | Chelsea | England | |
9 | Kevin De Bruyne | Belgium | White/European | Manchester City | England | |
10 | Harry Kane | England | White/European | Tottenham Hotspur | England | |
2019 | 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | White/European | Barcelona | Spain |
2 | Virgil van Dijk | Netherlands | Mixed (White/Black) | Liverpool | England | |
3 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | White/European | Juventus | Italy | |
4 | Sadio Mané | Senegal | Black/African | Liverpool | England | |
5 | Mohamed Salah | Egypt | Arab | Liverpool | England | |
6 | Kylian Mbappé | France | Mixed (Arab/Black) | Paris Saint-Germain | France | |
7 | Alisson | Brazil | White/European | Liverpool | England | |
8 | Robert Lewandowski | Poland | White/European | Bayern Munich | Germany | |
9 | Bernardo Silva | Portugal | White/European | Manchester City | England | |
10 | Riyad Mahrez | Algeria | Arab | Manchester City | England |
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballon_d%27Or
https://www.francefootball.fr/ballon-d-or/
Charts made using OpenOffice Calc.
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