Sports & Fitness
The Most Ballon d’Or Wins
Every player who has won the men’s Ballon d’Or twice or more, ranked by awards, as of October 26, 2026 (after the 2026 ceremony). Lionel Messi holds the record with 8, and Harry Kane is the newest winner, with one.
Pictured: Lionel Messi collecting his record eighth Ballon d’Or in 2023, #1 with 8 wins.
As of October 26, 2026, after the 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony in London, where Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) won the men’s award ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal.[2][3] This counts the men’s award presented by France Football since 1956, including the 2010–2015 years when it was merged with FIFA’s award, and nothing was awarded for 2020.[1][2] Changes to who is eligible (non-Europeans from 1995, any player from 2007) and to how jurors vote do not affect these counts, since every award actually presented counts once. Players tied on wins share a rank and are listed by first win. The 38 other men who have won once, from Stanley Matthews in 1956 to Harry Kane in 2026, are left out. Kane is a one-time winner, so he is not in the table. Runner-up means second place in the vote. The women’s Ballon d’Or Féminin, awarded since 2018, is a separate award and is not counted here: Aitana Bonmatí has won it three times (2023–2025) and Alexia Putellas three (2021, 2022 and 2026).[2] The table only changes when a ceremony is held, and the next is in 2027.
The Top 10
#1
Lionel Messi — 8 wins
Messi won in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2023, more than any other player, and four of them came in a row.[1][2] Six were won as a Barcelona player, the 2021 award while at Paris Saint-Germain and the record eighth in 2023, after Argentina’s 2022 World Cup win, while he was at Inter Miami.[1][2] He has also finished second five times (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017) and third once, in 2007.[1] The video is Major League Soccer’s report of the 2023 win.
#2
Cristiano Ronaldo — 5 wins
Ronaldo won in 2008 with Manchester United and in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017 with Real Madrid, drawing level with Messi’s then-record five at the 2017 ceremony.[1][2] He has also been runner-up six times (2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2018) and third once, and holds the record for most nominations, 18.[1] The video is Real Madrid’s clip of the fifth award.
#3 (tie)
Johan Cruyff — 3 wins
Cruyff won in 1971 with Ajax and in 1973 and 1974 with Barcelona, and was the first player to win the award three times.[1][2] He moved from Ajax to Barcelona in 1973, the year both Wikipedia and Sports Illustrated list under Barcelona.[1][2] He finished third in 1975.[1] The video is FC Barcelona’s tribute marking 50 years since his official debut for the club.
#3 (tie)
Michel Platini — 3 wins
Platini won three years running, 1983, 1984 and 1985, every time as a Juventus player, and was third in 1977 and 1980.[1][2] He is the only French player in the table. The video is Juventus’s compilation of his goals for the club.
#3 (tie)
Marco van Basten — 3 wins
Van Basten won in 1988, 1989 and 1992, all with AC Milan, and Wikipedia lists no second- or third-place finish for him.[1][2] His career ended early because of an ankle injury, and the video is AC Milan’s film of his farewell at San Siro on August 18, 1995.[4]
#6 (tie)
Alfredo Di Stéfano — 2 wins
Di Stéfano won in 1957 and 1959 with Real Madrid, in the years of the club’s first run of European Cups, and was runner-up in 1956, the first year of the award.[1][2] He was born in Argentina and took Spanish nationality in 1956, and Wikipedia lists him under Spain.[1] The video is Real Madrid’s piece on his five European Cups.
#6 (tie)
Franz Beckenbauer — 2 wins
Beckenbauer won in 1972 and 1976, both as a Bayern Munich player, and was runner-up in 1974 and 1975 and third in 1966.[1][2] He played for West Germany, and the table lists him under Germany. The video is FC Bayern’s film on his honour in the club museum for his 75th birthday.
#6 (tie)
Kevin Keegan — 2 wins
Keegan won in 1978 and 1979 with Hamburger SV, after moving there from Liverpool in 1977, and was runner-up in 1977.[1][2] The video is the club’s own top five of his goals (it is in German), and says he scored 40 in 113 games for Hamburg.[4]
#6 (tie)
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge — 2 wins
Rummenigge won in 1980 and 1981 with Bayern Munich, one year after finishing second to Keegan in 1979.[1][2] The video is FC Bayern’s top 10 of his goals.
#6 (tie)
Ronaldo Nazário — 2 wins
The Brazilian Ronaldo won in 1997 with Inter Milan, when he was 21 years and 96 days old, still the youngest winner, and in 2002 with Real Madrid.[1][2] He was runner-up in 1996 and third in 1998.[1] The video is Real Madrid’s compilation of his goals for the club.
Sources
- Wikipedia, “Ballon d’Or” (winners by year with clubs, and a wins-by-player table with each player’s years won and second- and third-place finishes), checked against the Sports Illustrated list below.
- Sports Illustrated, “Ballon d’Or: Full List of Winners, Most Wins of All Time” (updated after the 2026 ceremony: winners with clubs and nationalities, the all-time wins table, and the Ballon d’Or Féminin winners).
- ESPN, “Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d’Or ahead of Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal; first Englishman in 25 years”, and Sky Sports, “Harry Kane wins 2026 Ballon d’Or” (the 2026 result).
- Videos: Major League Soccer (Messi, 2023), Real Madrid (Ronaldo, 2017; Di Stéfano; Ronaldo Nazário), FC Barcelona (Cruyff), Juventus (Platini), AC Milan (van Basten), FC Bayern München (Beckenbauer; Rummenigge) and HSV (Keegan). The AC Milan film and the HSV video, which gives Keegan’s 40 goals in 113 games, are the sources for the facts credited to them.
