On Monday night in Paris, football fanatics converged to witness another historic moment in football history: a Ballon d’Or ceremony.
The occasion saw Ousmane Dembele, a French football star, win the most coveted individual award at its 69th annual ceremony.
Dembélé’s win means one thing: that France is now tied with Argentina as the joint winners, topping the chart of the most successful countries with 8 Ballon d’Or, a record solely held by Lionel Messi’s iconic eight wins.
Across the borders, the golden ball has passed through many hands, yet only a handful of countries have produced the winners. In this analysis, Tribune Online did a breakdown of the nations whose stars have lifted the prestigious award.
Argentina – 8 Wins
Not until 2009 did Argentina win the Ballon d’Or for the first time since its inception in 1956, yet the country now boasts of 8 of it in their cabinet. All thanks to the country’s magic man, Lionel Messi, whose domination has rewritten history, placing Argentina on a global map.
France – 8 Wins
France has a long history of producing great talents and recently the country just matched Argentina as the top of 8 Ballon d’Or awards. Unlike Argentina, France’s success is shared across 6 players: Michel Platini 3, Raymond Kopa, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane, Karim Benzema and Ousmane Dembele, all have 1 each.
Portugal – 7 Wins
From Cristiano Ronaldo, who won it five times, to Eusebio and Luis Figo, Portugal has not only won it seven times but has proven to be one of the strongest football nations in the world.
Netherlands – 7 Wins
The Dutch are also one of Europe’s most celebrated producers of Ballon d’Or winners. With 7 wins to their names, shared across important football legends like Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit and Marco Van Basten.
Germany – 7 Wins
Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and others’ Ballon d’Or awards make Germany a great football nation since its inception, especially at the World Cup.
Brazil – 5 Wins
Brazil has produced iconic strikers, great legends like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, and Rivaldo, whose football skills were not only a joy to watch but have also earned them the Ballon d’Or.
Italy – 5 Wins
Known for defensive brilliance and artistic style of playing, Italy has won the Ballon d’Or 5 times thanks to their great talents like Paolo Rossi, Roberto Baggio, Fabio Cannavaro and Gianni Rivera.
England – 4 Wins
Despite being a home for modern football, England surprisingly has few Ballon d’Or winners. Stanley Matthews was the first ever winner in 1956, followed by Bobby Charlton in 1966. Kevin Keegan won it back-to-back and Michael Owen’s 2001 triumph rounded off England’s tally, and since then, no other English player has ever won it.
Spain – 4 Wins
Despite playing beautiful football, Spain and England have produced few Ballon d’Or winners. Only Alfredo Di Stefano, an Argentine-born who represented Spain, Luis Suarez and Rodri, no other player from the Spanish side has ever won it.
Soviet Union and Ukraine – 4
Under the Soviet Union, Lev Yashin (1963) became the only goalkeeper ever to win the Ballon d’Or. Later, Oleg Blokhin and Igor Belanov represented Ukrainian football under the Soviet flag. In the modern era, Andriy Shevchenko’s 2004 victory for Ukraine ensured the region’s legacy continued.
Czech Republic – 2
Only two players have brought Ballon d’Or glory to the Czech Republic, and they are Josep Masopust and Pavel Nedved.
Countries with 1 Ballon d’Or
African players like George Weah, from Liberia, are the typical examples that great talents and untapped creativity also dwell in Africa after winning the Ballon d’Or in 1995. Other countries that also won it once are:Scotland, Hungary, Denmark, Northern Ireland, Croatia and Bulgaria.
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