5 countries with most Ballon d’Or wins in history

Since its inception in 1956, the Ballon d’Or has been a major award in professional football. Every player’s dream is to win the trophy at least once to solidify one’s career as one of the greatest of all time.

So far in history, the Ballon d’Or has awarded on 64 occasions. Normally, players from major footballing nations are the ones to win the trophy. It’s mostly European or South American players that have dominated the trophy. Liberia is the only African country to have a representative win the award.

There are some countries that have produced so many incredible footballers that their trophy count has exponentially increased as well.

So here’s a look at the 5 countries with the most Ballon d’Or wins in football history.

Argentina (7 Ballon d’Or wins, 1 player)

Just to refer to how surreal Argentina’s ride in the Ballon d’Or winners table has been, they didn’t win a single award heading into the 21^st century. But one man changed all that. The man in question is, of course, the very own Lionel Messi! The Argentine sensation has been a magnet for Ballon d’Or since winning his first in 2009.

He’s since gone onto win the award seven times in his career, more than any other player in football history. That includes winning it four years in a row from 2009-2012. Messi won his seventh last year, catapulting Argentina to the top of the charts for nations with the most Ballon d’Or awards in history.

Netherlands (7 wins, 3 players)

The Dutch have never won the FIFA World Cup, but they have a history of producing incredible footballing talent. Among the most famous is Johan Cruyff – the first Dutchman to win the Ballon d’Or. He won it three times (1971, 1973, 1974) and laid the path for many other world-class footballers to follow in his path.

After him, Ruud Gullit was the next Dutchman to win the Ballon d’Or (1987) and Marco van Basten, often regarded as one of the best strikers of all time, matched Cruyff’s feat by winning it thrice in a row in 1988, 1989 and 1992. Since then, not a single Netherlands footballer has tasted similar glory and the country is stuck on 7 wins.

Portugal (7 wins, 3 players)

Much like the Netherlands national team, Portugal have never tasted World Cup success either. But that hasn’t stopped them from developing a number of incredible players who are considered among the very best in history. The biggest figure to come out of Portugal is, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Manchester United star has won 5 Ballon d’Or awards in his career, one at Old Trafford and four at Real Madrid. Ronaldo is the second most decorated player in Ballon d’Or history and was the third Portuguese to win the trophy.

Eusebio was the first Portugal player to win (1965) and Luis Figo followed in 2000. Knowing the array of talent the country is still producing, Portugal should get more Ballon d’Or hardware throughout this century.

Germany (7 wins, 5 players)

Germany has a long, rich history in international football and it enjoys a reputation for being among the best footballing nations every World Cup cycle. The Germans have won the World Cup four times and hoisted the European Championships trophy three times, staking a claim as one of the best European nations of all time. Their success is derived from their ability to churn out world-class footballers on a consistent basis.

Some German footballers have been a level above the others. Germany have had five players win the Ballon d’Or: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, Lothar Matthaus and Matthias Sammer – the recent-most German player to win it (1996).

Rummenigge and Beckenbauer won the trophy twice each, making Germany to  one of the most decorated nations in Ballon d’Or history.

France (6 wins, 4 players)

The reigning World Cup Champions have a star-studded squad, full of world-class players, but their success isn’t a thing of recent history. They have been a major force in world football for decades and have produced some truly amazing, unique players. France have had four players win the prestigious award.

Raymond Kopa, a pioneering forward, won it back in 1958, delivering the first award for France. Michel Platini won it three straight times (1983-85) and Jean Pierre-Papin claimed the trophy in 1991.

The great Zinedine Zidane was the last Frenchman to win the Ballon d’Or, claiming the award in 1998. With the number of wonderkids in French football right now, a seventh Ballon d’Or might not be too far away. And Karim Benzema is favorite to win the next trophy to be presented on Oct. 17.