List Of FIFA Ballon d’Or Winners Since 1956 To 2016

FIFA Ballon d’Or award is the highest level of individual award in football and it is awarded to the best player in the world every year. The history about the current Ballon d’Or award is a bit complex so lets explain it briefly. Ballon d’Or award started back in 1956 and it was known as “European Player Of the year award” and only the players from europe were eligible for this award. But In 1995 the rules were changed and any player playing for European club could win it. But in 2009 it was merged with “FIFA’s player of the year award” and became FIFA Ballon d’or which any footballer from any part of the world can win it.
Jury & Selection Process: Since 2009 when both Ballon d’Or and FIFA Player of the year award were merged the selection process also disclosed to public. All national team captains and Coaches plus 1 specialist journalists from every country can vote for the nominees. The get a draft where they have to pick three players in decending order and when the drafts are return FIFA calculate points account to following criteria. 1 position pick is awarded 5 points, second pick is 3 and third pick gets 1 point. So around 500 voters (170 national team captain, 170 national coaches and around 170 journalists) choices are counted and the player with most points get the Ballon Dor award.
Now lets take a look at the all past winners of Ballon d’Or (now FIFA Ballon d’Or) award. From 1956 only european players were eligible but in 1995 any nationality player playing for a european club was eligible.

Past Winners of Ballon d’Or Award

YEAR	WINNER	NATIONALITY	CLUB
2015	Lionel Messi	Argentina	FC Barcelona
2014	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Real Madrid
2013	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Real Madrid
2012	Lionel Messi	Argentina	FC Barcelona
2011	Lionel Messi	Argentina	FC Barcelona
2010	Lionel Messi	Argentina	FC Barcelona
2009	Lionel Messi	Argentina	FC Barcelona
2008	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Manchester United
2007	Kaká	Brazil	AC Milan
2006	Fabio Cannavaro	Italy	Real Madrid/Juventus
2005	Ronaldinho	Brazil	Barcelona
2004	Andriy Shevchenko	Ukraine	AC Milan
2003	Pavel Nedvěd	Czech Republic	Juventus
2002	Ronaldo	Brazil	Real Madrid
2001	Michael Owen	England	Liverpool
2000	Luís Figo	Portugal	Real Madrid
1999	Rivaldo	Brazil	Barcelona
1998	Zinedine Zidane	France	Juventus
1997	Ronaldo	Brazil	Inter Milan
1996	Matthias Sammer	Germany	Borussia Dortmund
1995	George Weah	Liberia	AC Milan
1994	Hristo Stoichkov	Bulgaria	Barcelona
1993	Roberto Baggio	Italy	Juventus
1992	Marco van Basten	Netherlands	AC Milan
1991	Jean-Pierre Papin	France	Marseille
1990	Lothar Matthäus	Germany	Inter Milan
1989	Marco van Basten	Netherlands	AC Milan
1988	Marco van Basten	Netherlands	AC Milan
1987	Ruud Gullit	Netherlands	AC Milan
1986	Igor Belanov	Soviet Union	Dynamo Kyiv
1985	Michel Platini	France	Juventus
1984	Michel Platini	France	Juventus
1983	Michel Platini	France	Juventus
1982	Paolo Rossi	Italy	Juventus
1981	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	Germany	Bayern Munich
1980	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	Germany	Bayern Munich
1979	Kevin Keegan	England	Hamburg
1978	Kevin Keegan	England	Hamburg
1977	Allan Simonsen	Denmark	Borussia M”nchengladbach
1976	Franz Beckenbauer	Germany	Bayern Munich
1975	Oleg Blokhin	Soviet Union	Dynamo Kyiv
1974	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands	Barcelona
1973	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands	Barcelona
1972	Franz Beckenbauer	Germany	Bayern Munich
1971	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands	Barcelona
1970	Gerd Müller	Germany	Bayern Munich
1969	Gianni Rivera	Italy	Milan
1968	George Best	Northern Ireland	Manchester United
1967	Flórián Albert	Hungary	Ferencv rosi TC
1966	Bobby Charlton	England	Manchester United
1965	Eusébio	Portugal	Benfica
1964	Denis Law	Scotland	Manchester United
1963	Lev Yashin	Soviet Union	Dynamo Moscow
1962	Josef Masopust	Czechoslovakia	Dukla Prague
1961	Omar Sívori	Italy	Juventus
1960	Luis Suárez	Spain	Barcelona
1959	Alfredo Di Stéfano	Spain	Real Madrid
1958	Raymond Kopa	France	Real Madrid
1957	Alfredo Di Stéfano	Spain	Real Madrid
1956	Stanley Matthews	England	Blackpool