The award created by France Football magazine is always considered the most flashy measure of the class of elite players around the planet. This award has been awarded every year since 1956 and only in 2020 was postponed due to the complicated situation of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Karim Benzema became the latest player to be honored in 2022, thereby allowing the French player and his former teammate at Real Madrid, Luka Modric, to compete in the race of the century between Lionel Messi – Cristiano Ronaldo. mentioned most every time the Golden Ball awards ceremony approaches over the past 15 years.
Over its 67-year history, the Golden Ball has been awarded to 45 different owners, so which are the 5 players who have been honored many times in the highest category of this noble title?
1. Lionel Messi: 7 times
The Argentine superstar has surpassed his rival Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for the Golden Ball title by two times more (7 compared to 5). The former Barca star was honored 4 times in a row as the best player in the world from 2009 to 2012 and 3 times after that in 2015, 2019, 2021.
The 2023 Golden Ball is about to take place one day later and Messi has a great opportunity to improve his own record because the Inter Miami player has just had a successful 2022, especially in the Argentina national team shirt when he and La Albiceleste won the World Cup in Qatar.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo: 5 times
Ronaldo first won the Golden Ball in 2008 for Man United. The remaining 4 Golden Ball titles in the 38-year-old superstar’s collection all came during his time with Real Madrid (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017). Since leaving Real in 2018 to join Juventus, Ronaldo has never been in the final top three of the title, something he has not been left out of since 2007, when he finished third behind winner Ricardo Kaka. and Lionel Messi.
3. Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten: 3 times
Platini became one of the 5 people to win the most Golden Balls in history with 3 times. In particular, the former UEFA president won that number of titles for 3 consecutive years while playing for Juventus (1983-1985).
The last two names on this list are both Dutch football legends, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten. Cruyff was honored at the top position for the first time in 1971 when he was still playing for Ajax, the remaining two times came when this late legend contributed to Barcelona. Cruyff and Van Basten’s starting point was the same when they both chose Ajax as the place to start their careers, but Basten’s three Golden Ball wins all came when he played for AC Milan (1988, 1989, 1992).
