Ballon d’ Or: Countries with most awards in history emerge

Ahead of the 2021 Ballon d’ Or award later this year, below are countries with the most awards in history.

Countries like Germany, Argentina and Portugal are just some of the nations which have produced some of the most winners of the Ballon d’ Or.

Germany is one of only three countries to have won an incredible seven Ballon d’Or awards, according to GiveMeSport.

However, Italy’s Jorginho, Argentina’s Lionel Messi are expected to rival each other for the 2021 Ballon d’ Or following their impressive displays for both club and country.

Below are countries with most Ballon d’ Or in history;

Germany – Franz Beckenbauer (1972, 1976), Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1980, 1981), Gerd Muller (1970), Lothar Matthaus (1990) and Matthias Sammer (1996)

Netherlands – Johan Cruyff (1971, 1973, 1974), Marco van Basten (1988, 1989, 1992) and Ruud Gullit (1987)

Portugal – Cristiano Ronaldo (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017), Eusebio da Silva Ferreira (1965) and Luis Figo (2000).

Ballon d’Or power rankings revealed [Top 10]

Argentina – Lionel Messi (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019)

France – Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985), Raymond Kopa (1958), Jean-Pierre Papin (1991) and Zinedine Zidane (1998)

Brazil – Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima (1997, 2002), Kaka (2007), Rivaldo (1999) and Ronaldinho (2005)

England – Kevin Keegan (1978, 1979), Bobby Charlton (1966), Stanley Matthews (1956) and Michael Owen (2001)

Italy – Roberto Baggio (1993), Fabio Cannavaro (2006), Gianni Rivera (1969), Paolo Rossi (1982) and Omar Sivori (1961)

Soviet Union – Igor Belanov (1986), Oleg Blokhin (1975) and Lev Yashin (1963)

Spain – Alfredo Di Stefano (1957, 1959), Luis Suarez (1960), Bulgaria and Hristo Stoichkov (1994)

Croatia – Luka Modric (2018)

Czech Republic – Pavel Nedved (2003)

Czechoslovakia – Josef Masopust (1962)

Hungary – Florian Albert (1967)

Liberia – George Weah (1995)

Northern Ireland – George Best (1968)

Scotland – Denis Law (1964)

Ukraine – Andriy Shevchenko (2004)

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