Which football club has the most Ballon d’Or winners in history?
The Ballon d’Or is an annual prize awarded by France Football to footballers who stand out in the club and in the world. Many great players in the world have won this prestigious individual trophy.
Since its introduction in 1955, several world-class players have won this prestigious award. To be precise, 25 different players from 19 different countries and 20 different clubs have won the Ballon d’Or over the years.
The name of Lionel Messi has been chosen as the winner of the 2021 edition of the Ballon d’Or. The Argentine defeated Polish star Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich, winning the seventh Ballon d’Or in Messi’s career.
It is interesting to note the row of clubs from all over Europe with a collection of Ballon d’Or trophies that the players receive. In addition to the name of Lionel Messi, there is of course the figure of Cristiano Ronaldo and other great players who have retired from football.
Without further ado, here is a list of the five clubs with the most Ballon d’Or winners of all time:
5. Bayern Munich (Wins: 5)
It is one of the most successful clubs in Germany and Europe. The Bavarians giants are recorded Bundesliga winners and have also won five UEFA Champions League titles. Along with Barcelona, Bayern Munich are the only other club to win the treble. The last time they accomplished the feat was in the 2019-2020 season, thanks to the role of Robert Lewandowski.
Over the years, Bayern Munich have had three players win five Ballon d’Or titles while playing for the club. They are Gerd Muller (1 time), Franz Beckenbauer (2 times) and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (2 times). However, Bayern have not had a Ballon d’Or winner since Rummenigge won his second award in 1981.
4. AC Milan (Wins: 8)
AC Milan is the most successful club in Italy. They have won 7 Champions League titles which is second highest after Real Madrid. The Rossoneri have also won 18 Serie A trophies.
Not surprisingly, Milan has had many Ballon d’Or winners over the years. Six players have won 8 Ballon d’Or playing at the San Siro. The Milan player who has won the most Ballon d’Or is Marco van Basten (3 times). The last Ballon d’Or at AC Milan was Kaká in 2007.
3. Juventus (Wins: 8)
Being the most decorated club and king of Italy, Juventus also did not stop sending their representatives to win the Ballon d’Or. The Bianconeri have a record 36 Serie A and have reached nine finals in the era of the Champions League, with 2 victories.
Unsurprisingly, they have some world-class players that have come up for them over the years. Total 8 Ballon d’Or from 6 different players, Juventus’ latest Ballon d’Or winner is Pavel Nedved, who beat Thierry Henry for the coveted award in 2003.
Five other Juventus players have won a total of seven Ballon d’Or titles for the club, with Michel Platini (3) the only one to have done so multiple times.
2. Real Madrid (Wins: 12)
The club nicknamed Los Blancos is the most successful team in Spain and even in the world. How ? They have won a record 34 La Liga and 13 UEFA Champions League titles, which is the most titles won by any club in history.
Real Madrid has also been awarded many good players over the years. Perhaps the best of all is Cristiano Ronaldo, who won four Ballon d’Or for them.
The only other Real Madrid player to have won multiple Ballon d’Or is Alfredo Di Stéfano (twice). Karim Benzema (2022) is the last Real Madrid player to win the coveted award.
1. Barcelona (Wins: 12)
Barça is the eternal rival of Real Madrid. For years, Barcelona have been in fierce competition for the title with Real Madrid. But Barça stands out in the Ballon d’Or trophy, which is 12 trophies.
Lionel Messi (6 times) and Johan Cruyff (2 times), became the biggest contributors to the Ballon d’Or trophy. The other four players who have contributed to another four Ballon d’Or for Barcelona are Luis Suárez (1960), Hristo Stoichkov (1994), Rivaldo (1999), Ronaldinho (2005)
Also Read: 7 legends who didn’t win the Ballon d’Or
Also Read: Ballon d’Or Winners Without Messi and Ronaldo 2010 to 2020