Have you ever wondered which nation produces the most winners of the Ballon d’Or? You can stop wondering now that they’re all in one convenient list! The number of Ballon d’Or victories for each nation is the primary determinant, much like points and goal differential in a football table; however, for ties, the rank of the list is determined by the number of unique winners.
Top 9 Nations to Win the Ballon d’Or
Argentina – 9 Ballon d’Or – 2 Unique Winners
It should come as no surprise that Argentina leads the world in Ballon d’Or awards, with Messi taking home seven of them. Alfredo Di Stefano, the Real Madrid icon, contributed two. But still… Regarding Di Stefano’s Argentinian heritage, there is a significant dispute. Although he was born in Argentina, it should be noted that non-Europeans were not permitted to win the Ballon d’Or until 1995, therefore in that sense, he may be considered Spanish.
Despite playing for Spain when he won, he was born to Argentine and Italian parents, so I have always regarded him to be Argentinian. However, he played for three countries: Colombia, Argentina, and Spain, so it’s difficult to decide which nationality to give him.
Germany 7 Ballon d’Or – 5 Unique winners
Germany and France are tied with five winners of seven trophies each, and the winners from Germany before the collapse of the Berlin Wall are all West Germans: Lothar Matthäus (1990), Gerd Müller (1970), Franz Beckenbauer (1972, 1976), Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (1980, 1981), and Matthias Sammer (1996).
France 7 Ballon d’Or – 5 Unique Winners
Granted that the prize is granted by a French organization, France may be accused of a little prejudice, but you may make your judgment on that.
The first was Raymond Kopa in 1958; he was followed by three Platini awards in 1983, 1984, and 1985. Jean-Pierre Papin was victorious in 1991, and Zidane emerged victorious when France won the World Cup in 1998, till last year.
Portugal 7 Ballon d’Or – 3 Unique Winners
Ronaldo keeps Portugal in the race, but he won’t like sharing fourth place due to the special winner’s stat. triumphing in the years 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017.
Luis Figo in 2000 and Eusebio in 1965 are the other two winners. While Eusebio was born in Mozambique, he lived and worked in Portugal his whole career, thus that counts for them.
Netherlands 7 Ballon d’Or – 3 Unique Winners
The Netherlands, a cherished footballing nation, has always produced elegant, mysterious players. This is demonstrated by the fact that they had three winners: the inventor Johan Cruyff, who won in 1971, 1973, and 1974; Ruud Gullit followed in 1987. Before an accident ended his career, the talismanic, Swan-like Van Basten won three titles in a row, winning in 1988, 1989, and 1992.
Italy 5 Ballon d’Or – 5 Unique Winners
As one might expect from a proud footballing nation, they rank high. With five distinct winners of the prize, Italy has the greatest diversity of skill. Omar Sivori, who was born in Argentina, won in 1961 but was considered Italian by many because of his two Italian parents, which qualified him for the honor. Gianni Rivera came next in 1969, and Paulo Rossi’s triumph in 1982 came next.
In 1993, Roberto Baggio, also known as Bobby Baggio, was the next recipient of the trophy, following only Cannavaro as the third defender in history.
Brazil 5 Ballon d’Or – 4 Unique Winners
Brazil has swiftly amassed five champions in the roughly thirty years that they have had the opportunity to do so: Ronaldo (1997, 2002), Rivaldo (1999), Ronaldinho (2005), and Kaka (2007).
England 5 Ballon d’Or – 4 Unique Winners
England came in last among the major nations, with five wins. Even if the return is a little less than desired, it’s still a respectable result for the people of the nation. Being on par with Brazil is a significant accomplishment, despite England’s 30-year advantage.
Sir Stanley Matthews (1956), Sir Bobby Charlton (1966), Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979), and Michael Owen (2001) are among the winners. I assume players that join Newcastle aren’t awarded knighthoods.
If we count the seven winners from the United Kingdom, Dennis Law of Scotland in 1964 and George Best of Northern Ireland in 1968 are the two unique awardees out of the seven.
Soviet Union 3 (4?) Independent Ballon d’Or Winners
And lastly, the Soviet Union. With three winners—technically four, had the union not been dissolved in 1991—the old Transcontinental nation could claim the title. I’ll make a passing reference to the Fourth, but I do not see Ukraine as the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union may take pride in producing Lev Yahin, the sole goalie to win the trophy in 1963. Other winners are Oleg Blokhin (1975), Igor Belanov (1986), and Andriy Shevchenko (2004), who got the honor of playing national football for a former Soviet member while not being a part of the Soviet Union.
You might be thinking, “What about Spain?” Though there is a strong, convincing case for Di Stefano to be taken into consideration, they have only ever succeeded in producing one champion as in Spanish. However, Luis Suarez helped Spain win in 1960, which was shocking because it was their only triumph.