Cristiano Ronaldo Gold Coin Real Madrid Signed Portugal Flag 1902 Saudi Arabia

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Seller: Top-Rated Seller checkoutmyunqiuefunitems ✉️ (3,714) 99.9%, Location: Manchester, Take a look at my other items, GB, Ships to: WORLDWIDE, Item: 276154089123 Cristiano Ronaldo Gold Coin Real Madrid Signed Portugal Flag 1902 Saudi Arabia. Cristiano Ronaldo Coin with Real Madrid Crest Uncirculated Gold Plated Commemoration Coin   Has the Ronaldo's Iconic image before he takes a free kick. It also has his signature and the portugese flag The Other SIde has the real madrid crest The coin is 40mm in diameter, weighs about  1 oz and comes complete with plastic holder The coin you will receive would not have been removed from its protective airtight case A Beautiful coin and Magnificent Keepsake Souvenir of One of the Worlds Greatest Players In Excellent Condition Sorry about the poor quality photos. They dont do the coin justice which looks a lot better in real life Would make a great gift inside a Birthday Card, Christmas Card, Good Luck Card ....etc I have a lot of Sporting Coins on Ebay so Please  CLICK HERE TO VISIT MY SHOP
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Tianjin, Kuala Lumpur, Toronto, Milan, Shenyang, Dallas, Fort Worth, Boston, Belo Horizonte, Khartoum, Riyadh, Singapore, Washington, Detroit, Barcelona,, Houston, Athens, Berlin, Sydney, Atlanta, Guadalajara, San Francisco, Oakland, Montreal, Monterey, Melbourne, Ankara, Recife, Phoenix/Mesa, Durban, Porto Alegre, Dalian, Jeddah, Seattle, Cape Town, San Diego, Fortaleza, Curitiba, Rome, Naples, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Tel Aviv, Birmingham, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Manchester, San Juan, Katowice, Tashkent, Fukuoka, Baku, Sumqayit, St. Louis, Baltimore, Sapporo, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Taichung, Warsaw, Denver, Cologne, Bonn, Hamburg, Dubai, Pretoria, Vancouver, Beirut, Budapest, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Campinas, Harare, Brasilia, Kuwait, Munich, Portland, Brussels, Vienna, San Jose, Damman , Copenhagen, Brisbane, Riverside, San Bernardino, Cincinnati and Accra Cristiano Ronaldo Born:     February 5, 1985 (age 38) Funchal Portugal Saudi Arabia's lavish recruitment drive rolls on despite Messi miss Missing out on Lionel Messi hasn’t slowed Saudi Arabia’s ambitious recruitment drive as the oil-rich kingdom tries to establish itself as a viable destination for the world’s top players Top Questions When was Cristiano Ronaldo born? What was Cristiano Ronaldo’s early life like? What was Cristiano Ronaldo best known for? How did Cristiano Ronaldo become world famous? Cristiano Ronaldo, in full Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, (born February 5, 1985, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal), Portuguese football (soccer) forward who was one of the greatest players of his generation. Early life and career Ronaldo’s father, José Dinis Aveiro, was the equipment manager for the local club Andorinha. (The name Ronaldo was added to Cristiano’s name in honour of his father’s favourite movie actor, Ronald Reagan, who was U.S. president at the time of Cristiano’s birth.) At age 15 Ronaldo was diagnosed with a heart condition that necessitated surgery, but he was sidelined only briefly and made a full recovery. He first played for Clube Desportivo Nacional of Madeira and then transferred to Sporting Clube de Portugal (known as Sporting Lisbon), where he played for that club’s various youth teams before making his debut on Sporting’s first team in 2002. Serena Williams poses with the Daphne Akhurst Trophy after winning the Women's Singles final against Venus Williams of the United States on day 13 of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 28, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (tennis, sports) Britannica Quiz Great Moments in Sports Quiz A tall player at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 metres), Ronaldo was a formidable athlete on the pitch. Originally a right-winger, he developed into a forward with a free-reined attacking style. He was able to mesmerize opponents with a sleight of foot that made sufficient space for openings in opposing defenses. Club play After a successful season with Sporting that brought the young player to the attention of Europe’s biggest football clubs, Ronaldo signed with English powerhouse Manchester United in 2003. He was an instant sensation and soon came to be regarded as one of the best forwards in the game. His finest season with United came in 2007–08, when he scored 42 League and Cup goals and earned the Golden Shoe award as Europe’s leading scorer, with 31 League goals. After helping United to a Champions League title in May 2008, Ronaldo captured Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Player of the Year honours for his stellar 2007–08 season. He also led United to an appearance in the 2009 Champions League final, which they lost to FC Barcelona. Soon thereafter Ronaldo was sold to Spain’s Real Madrid—a club with which he had long been rumoured to want to play—for a then record £80 million (about $131 million) transfer fee. His scoring prowess continued with his new team, and he netted the most goals (40) in La Liga history during the 2010–11 season (his record was broken the following season by his rival Lionel Messi of Barcelona). In 2011–12 Ronaldo helped Madrid capture a La Liga championship and scored a personal-best 46 goals during the League season. He scored a total of 66 goals in 56 appearances with Madrid and the Portuguese national team in 2013 to earn his second world player of the year award (the FIFA World Player of the Year was renamed the FIFA Ballon d’Or in 2010). In 2014 he scored 52 goals in 43 games and led Madrid to a Champions League title, which resulted in Ronaldo capturing another Ballon d’Or award. In 2014–15 he netted 48 goals to lead La Liga in scoring. Ronaldo netted his 324th goal as a member of Real in October 2015 to become the club’s all-time leading goal scorer. He scored 35 La Liga goals in 2015–16 and helped Real win its record 11th Champions League title, and in December 2016 he won a fourth career Ballon d’Or for his accomplishments. Ronaldo scored 42 goals for Real across all competitions in 2016–17 and led his team to La Liga and Champions League titles that season, which resulted in a fifth career Ballon d’Or award. In 2017–18 he scored 44 goals in 44 games, and Real won a third straight Champions League title. In July 2018 he reached a four-year contract worth €112 million (about $132 million) with the Italian powerhouse Juventus. He finished his Real career with 311 goals in 292 matches. He scored 28 goals in his first season with Juventus—his lowest domestic goal total since his last season with Manchester United—as the powerhouse club won its eighth straight Italian league title. In the 2019–20 season Ronaldo helped the club capture another league title, and Juventus later won the 2020 Supercoppa Italiana and the 2021 Coppa Italia Final. Several months after the latter match, he left Juventus and returned to Manchester United. His second stint with the club proved disappointing, however. Both Ronaldo and Manchester struggled, and he expressed growing dissatisfaction with the club. In November 2022 his contract was terminated by “mutual agreement.” The following month Ronaldo signed with the Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. International career Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo On his home soil, after moving through the youth and under-21 ranks, Ronaldo had made his first appearance for Portugal’s full national team against Kazakhstan in August 2003 (four days after his debut for United). He was a key player in Portugal’s fourth-place finish at the 2006 World Cup and became the full-time captain of the national team in 2008. In 2012 his stellar play led Portugal to the semifinals of the European Championship, where his team was eliminated by rival Spain in a match that was decided by a penalty kick shoot-out. Ronaldo came into the 2014 World Cup hot off of his second world player of the year win, but his play at the tournament was spotty, and the entire Portugal team struggled during a group-stage elimination. In 2016 he helped Portugal win the European Championship, the country’s first major international tournament title, although he only played sparingly in the final because of a knee injury that he had sustained early in the match. Ronaldo played brilliantly at the 2018 World Cup, scoring four goals in four games as Portugal advanced to the knockout round only to lose its first match of that stage to a strong defensive Uruguay side. Four years later Ronaldo became the first male player to score at five different World Cups. However, he was not part of the starting lineup for several games, and Portugal’s 2022 World Cup ended with a loss in the quarterfinals. Endorsements and legal issues Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo Ronaldo was one of the most well-known sports stars off the field, and numerous studies of athletes’ popularity showed that he was the most-beloved athlete in the world during his playing peak. His extreme popularity made Ronaldo one of the highest-paid endorsers in sports history, and in November 2016 he became the third person (after basketball superstars Michael Jordan and LeBron James) to earn a “lifetime” contract from the sportswear company Nike. Moreover, he established his own successful “CR7” brand of products that included shoes, underwear, and fragrances. Ronaldo’s immense marketability was at the centre of a legal issue that arose in June 2017. That month prosecutors filed a lawsuit that accused Ronaldo of defrauding the Spanish government of €14.7 million ($16.5 million) by hiding his image-rights income in Spain from 2011 to 2014. He was accused of having underestimated the income he earned from the sale and licensing of his image rights and the accompanying tax obligations, but Ronaldo denied all allegations. However, in June 2018 he accepted a suspended two-year prison sentence and agreed to pay €18.8 million ($21.8 million) to the Spanish government to settle the case. Association football     Article     Talk     Read     View source     View history Tools Page semi-protected Listen to this article From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "Soccer" redirects here. For other uses, see Soccer (disambiguation). Association football The attacking player (No. 10) attempts to kick the ball beyond the opposing team's goalkeeper, between the goalposts, and beneath the crossbar (not shown) to score a goal. Highest governing body    FIFA Nicknames        The Beautiful GameThe World's Game[1][2] First played    Mid-19th century England[3][4] Characteristics Contact    Yes Team members    11 per side (including goalkeeper) Mixed-sex    No, separate competitions Type    Team sport, ball sport Equipment    Football (or soccer ball), shin pads Venue    Football pitch (also known as football field, football ground, soccer field, soccer pitch or "pitch") Glossary    Glossary of association football Presence Country or region    Worldwide Olympic    Men's since the 1900 Olympics and women's since the 1996 Olympics Paralympic    5-a-side since 2004 and 7-a-side from 1984 to 2016 Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer,[a] is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players each, who primarily use their feet to propel a ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team by moving the ball beyond the goal line into a rectangular-framed goal defended by the opposing team. Traditionally, the game has been played over two 45-minute halves, for a total match time of 90 minutes. With an estimated 250 million players active in over 200 countries and territories, it is the world's most popular sport. The game of association football is played in accordance with the Laws of the Game, a set of rules that has been in effect since 1863 and maintained by the IFAB since 1886. The game is played with a football that is 68–70 cm (27–28 in) in circumference. The two teams compete to get the ball into the other team's goal (between the posts and under the bar), thereby scoring a goal. When the ball is in play, the players mainly use their feet, but may use any other part of their body, except for their hands or arms, to control, strike, or pass the ball. Only the goalkeepers may use their hands and arms, and only then within the penalty area. The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner. Depending on the format of the competition, an equal number of goals scored may result in a draw being declared, or the game goes into extra time or a penalty shootout.[5] Internationally, association football is governed by FIFA. Under FIFA, there are six continental confederations: AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA. National associations (e.g. The FA or JFA) are responsible for managing the game in their own countries both professionally and at an amateur level, and coordinating competitions in accordance with the Laws of the Game. The most senior and prestigious international competitions are the FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Women's World Cup. The men's World Cup is the most-viewed sporting event in the world, surpassing the Olympic Games.[6] The two most prestigious competitions in European club football are the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Women's Champions League, which attract an extensive television audience throughout the world. Since 2009, the final of the men's tournament has been the most-watched annual sporting event in the world.[7] Women's association football has historically seen opposition, with national associations severely curbing its development and several outlawing it completely. Restrictions started to be reduced in the 1970s and the first official women's World Cup[b] was the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup in China with only 12 teams from the respective six confederations. By the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, this had increased to 24 national teams, and a record-breaking 1.12 billion viewers watched the competition.[8] Name Main article: Names for association football Association football is one of a family of football codes that emerged from various ball games played worldwide since antiquity. Within the English-speaking world, the sport is now usually called "football" in Great Britain and most of Ulster in the north of Ireland, whereas people usually call it "soccer" in regions and countries where other codes of football are prevalent, such as Australia,[9] Canada, South Africa, most of Ireland (excluding Ulster),[10] and the United States; in Japan, the game is also primarily called sakkā (サッカー), derived from "soccer". A notable exception is New Zealand, where in the first two decades of the 21st century, under the influence of international television, "football" has been gaining prevalence, despite the dominance of other codes of football, namely rugby union and rugby league.[11] The term soccer comes from Oxford "-er" slang, which was prevalent at the University of Oxford in England from about 1875, and is thought to have been borrowed from the slang of Rugby School. Initially spelled assoccer, it was later reduced to the modern spelling.[12] This form of slang also gave rise to rugger for rugby football, fiver and tenner for five pound and ten pound notes, and the now-archaic footer that was also a name for association football.[13] The word soccer arrived at its final form in 1895 and was first recorded in 1889 in the earlier form of socca.[14] History Main article: History of association football For a chronological guide, see Timeline of association football. On the left, an episkyros player on an ancient stone carving, c. 375–400 BCE, exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum, Athens;[15] on the right, children playing cuju in Song dynasty China, 12th century Kicking ball games arose independently multiple times across multiple cultures.[c] Phaininda and episkyros were Greek ball games.[16][17] An image of an episkyros player depicted in low relief on a stele of c. 375–400 BCE in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens[15] appears on the UEFA European Championship trophy.[18] Athenaeus, writing in 228 CE, mentions the Roman ball game harpastum. Phaininda, episkyros and harpastum were played involving hands and violence. They all appear to have resembled rugby football, wrestling and volleyball more than what is recognizable as modern football.[19][20][21][22][23][24] As with pre-codified mob football, the antecedent of all modern football codes, these three games involved more handling the ball than kicking it.[25][26] The Chinese competitive game cuju (蹴鞠, literally "kick ball"; also known as tsu chu) resembles modern association football.[27] Cuju players could use any part of the body apart from hands and the intent was to kick a ball through an opening into a net. During the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), cuju games were standardised and rules were established.[19] Other East Asian games included kemari in Japan and chuk-guk in Korea, both influenced by cuju.[28][29] Kemari originated after the year 600 during the Asuka period. It was a ceremonial rather than a competitive game, and involved the kicking of a mari, a ball made of animal skin.[30] In North America, pasuckuakohowog was a ball game played by the Algonquians; it was described as "almost identical to the kind of folk football being played in Europe at the same time, in which the ball was kicked through goals".[31] Association football in itself does not have a classical history.[18] Notwithstanding any similarities to other ball games played around the world, FIFA has described that no historical connection exists with any game played in antiquity outside Europe.[32] The history of football in England dates back to at least the eighth century.[33] The modern rules of association football are based on the mid-19th century efforts to standardise the widely varying forms of football played in the public schools of England. The "Laws of the University Foot Ball Club" (Cambridge Rules) of 1856 The Cambridge rules, first drawn up at the University of Cambridge in 1848, were particularly influential in the development of subsequent codes, including association football. The Cambridge rules were written at Trinity College, Cambridge, at a meeting attended by representatives from Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Winchester and Shrewsbury schools. They were not universally adopted. During the 1850s, many clubs unconnected to schools or universities were formed throughout the English-speaking world to play various forms of football. Some came up with their own distinct codes of rules, most notably the Sheffield Football Club, formed by former public school pupils in 1857,[34] which led to the formation of a Sheffield FA in 1867. In 1862, John Charles Thring of Uppingham School also devised an influential set of rules.[35] These ongoing efforts contributed to the formation of The Football Association (The FA) in 1863, which first met on the morning of 26 October 1863 at the Freemasons' Tavern in Great Queen Street, London.[36] The only school to be represented on this occasion was Charterhouse. The Freemasons' Tavern was the setting for five more meetings of The FA between October and December 1863; the English FA eventually issued the first comprehensive set of rules named Laws of the Game, forming modern football. At the final meeting, the first FA treasurer, the representative from Blackheath F.C., withdrew his club from the FA over the removal of two draft rules at the previous meeting: the first allowed for running with the ball in hand; the second for obstructing such a run by hacking (kicking an opponent in the shins), tripping and holding. Other English rugby clubs followed this lead and did not join the FA, and instead in 1871 formed the Rugby Football Union. The eleven remaining clubs, under the charge of Ebenezer Cobb Morley, went on to ratify the original thirteen laws of the game.[36] These rules included handling of the ball by "marks" and the lack of a crossbar, rules which made it remarkably similar to Victorian rules football being developed at that time in Australia. The Sheffield FA played by its own rules until the 1870s, with the FA absorbing some of its rules until there was little difference between the games.[37] The Aston Villa team in 1897, after winning both the FA Cup and the English Football League The world's oldest football competition is the FA Cup, which was founded by the footballer and cricketer Charles W. Alcock, and has been contested by English teams since 1872. The first official international football match also took place in 1872, between Scotland and England in Glasgow, again at the instigation of Alcock. England is also home to the world's first football league, which was founded in Birmingham in 1888 by Aston Villa director William McGregor.[38] The original format contained 12 clubs from the Midlands and Northern England.[39] Laws of the Game are determined by the International Football Association Board (IFAB).[40] The board was formed in 1886[41] after a meeting in Manchester of the Football Association, the Scottish Football Association, the Football Association of Wales, and the Irish Football Association. FIFA, the international football body, was formed in Paris in 1904 and declared that they would adhere to the Laws of the Game of the Football Association.[42] The growing popularity of the international game led to the admittance of FIFA representatives to the IFAB in 1913. The board consists of four representatives from FIFA and one representative from each of the four British associations.[43] For most of the 20th century, Europe and South America were the dominant regions in association football. The FIFA World Cup, inaugurated in 1930, became the main stage for players of both continents to show their worth and the strength of their national teams.[44] In the second half of the century, the European Cup and the Copa Libertadores were created, and the champions of these two club competitions would contest the Intercontinental Cup to prove which team was the best in the world.[45] In the 21st century, South America has continued to produce some of the best footballers in the world,[46] but its clubs have fallen behind the still dominant European clubs, which often sign the best players from Latin America and elsewhere.[44][46] Meanwhile, football has improved in Africa, Asia and North America,[46] and nowadays, these regions are at least on equal grounds with South America in club football,[47] although countries in the Caribbean and Oceania regions (except Australia) have yet to make a mark in international football.[48][49] When it comes to national teams, however, Europeans and South Americans continue to dominate the FIFA World Cup, as no team from any other region has managed to even reach the final.[44][46] Football is played at a professional level all over the world. Millions of people regularly go to football stadiums to follow their favourite teams,[50] while billions more watch the game on television or on the internet.[51][52] A very large number of people also play football at an amateur level. According to a survey conducted by FIFA published in 2001, over 240 million people from more than 200 countries regularly play football.[53] Football has the highest global television audience in sport.[54] In many parts of the world, football evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual fans, local communities, and even nations. Ryszard Kapuściński says that Europeans who are polite, modest, or humble fall easily into rage when playing or watching football games.[55] The Ivory Coast national football team helped secure a truce to the nation's civil war in 2006[56] and it helped further reduce tensions between government and rebel forces in 2007 by playing a match in the rebel capital of Bouaké, an occasion that brought both armies together peacefully for the first time.[57] By contrast, football is widely considered to have been the final proximate cause for the Football War in June 1969 between El Salvador and Honduras.[58] The sport also exacerbated tensions at the beginning of the Croatian War of Independence of the 1990s, when a match between Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade degenerated into rioting in May 1990.[59] Women's association football Main article: Women's association football Women may have been playing football for as long as the game has existed. Evidence shows that a similar ancient game (cuju, or tsu chu) was played by women during the Han dynasty (25–220 CE), as female figures are depicted in frescoes of the period playing tsu chu.[60][61] There are also reports of annual football matches played by women in Midlothian, Scotland, during the 1790s.[62][63] North team of the British Ladies', the first organised women's football team, here pictured in March 1895 Association football, the modern game, has documented early involvement of women.[63] In 1863, football governing bodies introduced standardised rules to prohibit violence on the pitch, making it more socially acceptable for women to play.[64] The first match recorded by the Scottish Football Association took place in 1892 in Glasgow.[62] In England, the first recorded game of football between women took place in 1895.[64] Women's football has traditionally been associated with charity games and physical exercise, particularly in the United Kingdom.[65] The best-documented early European team was founded by activist Nettie Honeyball in England in 1894. It was named the British Ladies' Football Club. Honeyball is quoted as, "I founded the association late last year [1894], with the fixed resolve of proving to the world that women are not the 'ornamental and useless' creatures men have pictured. I must confess, my convictions on all matters where the sexes are so widely divided are all on the side of emancipation, and I look forward to the time when ladies may sit in Parliament and have a voice in the direction of affairs, especially those which concern them most."[66] Honeyball and those like her paved the way for women's football. However, the women's game was frowned upon by the British football associations and continued without their support. It has been suggested that this was motivated by a perceived threat to the "masculinity" of the game.[67] Women's football became popular on a large scale at the time of the First World War, when female employment in heavy industry spurred the growth of the game, much as it had done for men 50 years earlier. The most successful team of the era was Dick, Kerr Ladies F.C. of Preston, England. The team played in one of the first women's international matches against a French XI team in 1920,[68][69] and also made up most of the England team against a Scottish Ladies XI in the same year, winning 22–0.[62] Despite being more popular than some men's football events, with one match seeing a 53,000 strong crowd in 1920,[70][71] women's football in England suffered a blow in 1921 when The Football Association outlawed the playing of the game on association members' pitches,[72] stating that "the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and should not be encouraged".[73] Players and football writers have argued that this ban was, in fact, due to envy of the large crowds that women's matches attracted,[71] and because the FA had no control over the money made from the women's game.[73] The FA ban led to the formation of the short-lived English Ladies Football Association and play moved to rugby grounds.[74] Young Finnish girls football team of Kolarin Kontio in Piteå, Sweden, in 2014 Association football continued to be played by women since the time of the first recorded women's games in the late 19th century.[65][75] In December 1969, the Women's Football Association was formed in England,[65][76] and in 1971, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) members voted to officially recognise women's football.[65] Also in 1971, The Football Association rescinded the ban that prohibited women from playing on association members' pitches.[76] In the late 1960s and early 1970s, women's association football was organised in the United Kingdom, eventually becoming the most prominent team sport for British women.[65] Women's football also faced bans in several other countries, notably in Brazil from 1941 to 1979,[77] in France from 1941 to 1970,[78] and in Germany from 1955 to 1970.[79] Women's football still faces many struggles, but its worldwide growth[80] has seen major competitions being launched at both the national and international levels, mirroring the men's competitions. The FIFA Women's World Cup was inaugurated in 1991 and has been held every four years since,[81] while women's football has been an Olympic event since 1996.[82] North America is the dominant region in women's football, with the United States winning most FIFA Women's World Cups and Olympic tournaments. Europe and Asia come second and third in terms of international success,[83][84] and the women's game has been improving in South America.[85] Gameplay Main article: Laws of the Game (association football) See also: Parker's Piece One half of a professional football match (45 minutes) between Slovenian clubs NK Nafta 1903 and NK Dob. The result after the half is 0–0. Association football is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game. The game is played using a spherical ball of 68–70 cm (27–28 in) circumference,[86] known as the football (or soccer ball). Two teams of eleven players each compete to get the ball into the other team's goal (between the posts and under the bar), thereby scoring a goal. The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals then the game is a draw. Each team is led by a captain who has only one official responsibility as mandated by the Laws of the Game: to represent their team in the coin toss before kick-off or penalty kicks.[5] The primary law is that players other than goalkeepers may not deliberately handle the ball with their hands or arms during play, though they must use both their hands during a throw-in restart. Although players usually use their feet to move the ball around, they may use any part of their body (notably, "heading" with the forehead)[87] other than their hands or arms.[88] Within normal play, all players are free to play the ball in any direction and move throughout the pitch, though players may not pass to teammates who are in an offside position.[89] During gameplay, players attempt to create goal-scoring opportunities through individual control of the ball, such as by dribbling, passing the ball to a teammate, and by taking shots at the goal, which is guarded by the opposing goalkeeper. Opposing players may try to regain control of the ball by intercepting a pass or through tackling the opponent in possession of the ball; however, physical contact between opponents is restricted. Football is generally a free-flowing game, with play stopping only when the ball has left the field of play or when play is stopped by the referee for an infringement of the rules. After a stoppage, play recommences with a specified restart.[90] A player executing a slide tackle to dispossess an opponent At a professional level, most matches produce only a few goals. For example, the 2005–06 season of the English Premier League produced an average of 2.48 goals per match.[91] The Laws of the Game do not specify any player positions other than goalkeeper,[92] but a number of specialised roles have evolved.[93] Broadly, these include three main categories: strikers, or forwards, whose main task is to score goals; defenders, who specialise in preventing their opponents from scoring; and midfielders, who dispossess the opposition and keep possession of the ball to pass it to the forwards on their team. Players in these positions are referred to as outfield players, to distinguish them from the goalkeeper. These positions are further subdivided according to the area of the field in which the player spends the most time. For example, there are central defenders and left and right midfielders. The ten outfield players may be arranged in any combination. The number of players in each position determines the style of the team's play; more forwards and fewer defenders creates a more aggressive and offensive-minded game, while the reverse creates a slower, more defensive style of play. While players typically spend most of the game in a specific position, there are few restrictions on player movement, and players can switch positions at any time.[94] The layout of a team's players is known as a formation. Defining the team's formation and tactics is usually the prerogative of the team's manager.[95] Laws "Rules of football" redirects here. For the rules of other football games, see Football. There are 17 laws in the official Laws of the Game, each containing a collection of stipulations and guidelines. The same laws are designed to apply to all levels of football for both sexes, although certain modifications for groups such as juniors, seniors and people with physical disabilities are permitted.[d] The laws are often framed in broad terms, which allow flexibility in their application depending on the nature of the game. The Laws of the Game are published by FIFA, but are maintained by the IFAB.[96] In addition to the seventeen laws, numerous IFAB decisions and other directives contribute to the regulation of association football.[97][98] Within the United States, Major League Soccer used a distinct ruleset during the 1990s[99] and the National Federation of State High School Associations and National Collegiate Athletic Association still use rulesets that are comparable to, but different from, the IFAB Laws. Players, equipment, and officials See also: Association football positions, Formation (association football), Substitute (association football), and Kit (association football) The referee officiates in a football match Each team consists of a maximum of eleven players (excluding substitutes), one of whom must be the goalkeeper. Competition rules may state a minimum number of players required to constitute a team, which is usually seven. Goalkeepers are the only players allowed to play the ball with their hands or arms, provided they do so within the penalty area in front of their own goal. Though there are a variety of positions in which the outfield (non-goalkeeper) players are strategically placed by a coach, these positions are not defined or required by the Laws.[92] The basic equipment or kit players are required to wear includes a shirt, shorts, socks, footwear and adequate shin guards. An athletic supporter and protective cup is highly recommended for male players by medical experts and professionals.[100][101] Headgear is not a required piece of basic equipment, but players today may choose to wear it to protect themselves from head injury.[102] Players are forbidden to wear or use anything that is dangerous to themselves or another player, such as jewellery or watches. The goalkeeper must wear clothing that is easily distinguishable from that worn by the other players and the match officials.[103] A number of players may be replaced by substitutes during the course of the game. The maximum number of substitutions permitted in most competitive international and domestic league games is five in 90 minutes,[104] with each team being allowed one more if the game should go into extra-time; the permitted number may vary in other competitions or in friendly matches. Common reasons for a substitution include injury, tiredness, ineffectiveness, a tactical switch, or timewasting at the end of a finely poised game. In standard adult matches, a player who has been substituted may not take further part in a match.[105] IFAB recommends "that a match should not continue if there are fewer than seven players in either team". Any decision regarding points awarded for abandoned games is left to the individual football associations.[106] A game is officiated by a referee, who has "full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game in connection with the match to which he has been appointed" (Law 5), and whose decisions are final. The referee is assisted by two assistant referees. In many high-level games there is also a fourth official who assists the referee and may replace another official should the need arise.[107] Goal line technology is used to measure if the whole ball has crossed the goal-line thereby determining whether a goal has been scored or not; this was brought in to prevent controversy. Video assistant referees (VAR) have also been increasingly introduced in high-level matches to assist officials through video replays to correct clear and obvious mistakes. There are four types of calls that can be reviewed: mistaken identity in awarding a red or yellow card, goals and whether there was a violation during the buildup, direct red card decisions, and penalty decisions.[108] Ball Main article: Ball (association football) The ball is spherical with a circumference of between 68 and 70 cm (27 and 28 in), a weight in the range of 410 to 450 g (14 to 16 oz), and a pressure between 0.6 and 1.1 standard atmospheres (8.5 and 15.6 pounds per square inch) at sea level. In the past the ball was made up of leather panels sewn together, with a latex bladder for pressurisation, but modern balls at all levels of the game are now synthetic.[109][110] Pitch Main article: Football pitch Standard pitch measurements As the Laws were formulated in England, and were initially administered solely by the four British football associations within IFAB, the standard dimensions of a football pitch were originally expressed in imperial units. The Laws now express dimensions with approximate metric equivalents (followed by traditional units in brackets), though use of imperial units remains popular in English-speaking countries with a relatively recent history of metrication (or only partial metrication), such as Britain.[111] The length of the pitch, or field, for international adult matches is in the range of 100–110 m (110–120 yd) and the width is in the range of 64–75 m (70–80 yd). Fields for non-international matches may be 90–120 m (100–130 yd) in length and 45–90 m (50–100 yd) in width, provided that the pitch does not become square. In 2008, the IFAB initially approved a fixed size of 105 m (115 yd) long and 68 m (74 yd) wide as a standard pitch dimension for international matches;[112] however, this decision was later put on hold and was never actually implemented.[113] The longer boundary lines are touchlines, while the shorter boundaries (on which the goals are placed) are goal lines. A rectangular goal is positioned on each goal line, midway between the two touchlines.[114] The inner edges of the vertical goal posts must be 7.32 m (24 ft) apart, and the lower edge of the horizontal crossbar supported by the goal posts must be 2.44 m (8 ft) above the ground. Nets are usually placed behind the goal, but are not required by the Laws.[115] In front of the goal is the penalty area. This area is marked by the goal line, two lines starting on the goal line 16.5 m (18 yd) from the goalposts and extending 16.5 m (18 yd) into the pitch perpendicular to the goal line, and a line joining them. This area has a number of functions, the most prominent being to mark where the goalkeeper may handle the ball and where a penalty foul by a member of the defending team becomes punishable by a penalty kick. Other markings define the position of the ball or players at kick-offs, goal kicks, penalty kicks and corner kicks.[116] Duration and tie-breaking methods 90-minute ordinary time A standard adult football match consists of two halves of 45 minutes each. Each half runs continuously, meaning that the clock is not stopped when the ball is out of play. There is usually a 15-minute half-time break between halves. The end of the match is known as full-time.[117] The referee is the official timekeeper for the match, and may make an allowance for time lost through substitutions, injured players requiring attention, or other stoppages. This added time is called "additional time" in FIFA documents,[118][119] but is most commonly referred to as stoppage time or injury time, while lost time can also be used as a synonym. The duration of stoppage time is at the sole discretion of the referee. Stoppage time does not fully compensate for the time in which the ball is out of play, and a 90-minute game typically involves about an hour of "effective playing time".[120][121] The referee alone signals the end of the match. In matches where a fourth official is appointed, towards the end of the half, the referee signals how many minutes of stoppage time they intend to add. The fourth official then informs the players and spectators by holding up a board showing this number. The signalled stoppage time may be further extended by the referee.[117] Added time was introduced because of an incident which happened in 1891 during a match between Stoke and Aston Villa. Trailing 1–0 with two minutes remaining, Stoke were awarded a penalty kick. Villa's goalkeeper deliberately kicked the ball out of play; by the time it was recovered, the clock had run out and the game was over, leaving Stoke unable to attempt the penalty.[122] The same law also states that the duration of either half is extended until the penalty kick to be taken or retaken is completed; thus, no game can end with an uncompleted penalty.[123] Tie-breaking Main article: Determining the Outcome of a Match (association football) Most knockout competitions use a penalty shootout to decide the winner if a match ends as a draw In league competitions, games may end in a draw. In knockout competitions where a winner is required, various methods may be employed to break such a deadlock; some competitions may invoke replays.[124] A game tied at the end of regulation time may go into extra time, which consists of two further 15-minute periods. If the score is still tied after extra time, some competitions allow the use of penalty shootouts (known officially in the Laws of the Game as "kicks from the penalty mark") to determine which team will progress to the next stage of the tournament or be the champion. Goals scored during extra time periods count towards the final score of the game, but kicks from the penalty mark are only used to decide the team that progresses to the next part of the tournament, with goals scored in a penalty shootout not making up part of the final score.[5] In competitions using two-legged matches, each team competes at home once, with an aggregate score from the two matches deciding which team progresses. Where aggregates are equal, the away goals rule may be used to determine the winners, in which case the winner is the team that scored the most goals in the leg they played away from home. If the result is still equal, extra time and potentially a penalty shootout are required.[5] Ball in and out of play Main article: Ball in and out of play A player takes a free kick, while the opposition form a "wall" to try to block the ball Under the Laws, the two basic states of play during a game are ball in play and ball out of play. From the beginning of each playing period with a kick-off until the end of the playing period, the ball is in play at all times, except when either the ball leaves the field of play, or play is stopped by the referee. When the ball becomes out of play, play is restarted by one of eight restart methods depending on how it went out of play:     Kick-off: following a goal by the opposing team, or to begin each period of play.[90]     Throw-in: when the ball has crossed the touchline; awarded to the opposing team to that which last touched the ball.[125]     Goal kick: when the ball has wholly crossed the goal line without a goal having been scored and having last been touched by a player of the attacking team; awarded to defending team.[126]     Corner kick: when the ball has wholly crossed the goal line without a goal having been scored and having last been touched by a player of the defending team; awarded to attacking team.[127]     Indirect free kick: awarded to the opposing team following "non-penal" fouls, certain technical infringements, or when play is stopped to caution or dismiss an opponent without a specific foul having occurred. A goal may not be scored directly (without the ball first touching another player) from an indirect free kick.[128]     Direct free kick: awarded to fouled team following certain listed "penal" fouls.[128] A goal may be scored directly from a direct free kick.     Penalty kick: awarded to the fouled team following a foul usually punishable by a direct free kick but that has occurred within their opponent's penalty area.[129]     Dropped-ball: occurs when the referee has stopped play for any other reason, such as a serious injury to a player, interference by an external party, or a ball becoming defective.[90] Misconduct Main article: Foul (association football) On-field Players are cautioned with a yellow card, and dismissed from the game with a red card. These colours were first introduced at the 1970 FIFA World Cup and used consistently since. A foul occurs when a player commits an offence listed in the Laws of the Game while the ball is in play. The offences that constitute a foul are listed in Law 12. Handling the ball deliberately, tripping an opponent, or pushing an opponent, are examples of "penal fouls", punishable by a direct free kick or penalty kick depending on where the offence occurred. Other fouls are punishable by an indirect free kick.[88] The referee may punish a player's or substitute's misconduct by a caution (yellow card) or dismissal (red card). A second yellow card in the same game leads to a red card, which results in a dismissal. A player given a yellow card is said to have been "booked", the referee writing the player's name in their official notebook. If a player has been dismissed, no substitute can be brought on in their place and the player may not participate in further play. Misconduct may occur at any time, and while the offences that constitute misconduct are listed, the definitions are broad. In particular, the offence of "unsporting behaviour" may be used to deal with most events that violate the spirit of the game, even if they are not listed as specific offences. A referee can show a yellow or red card to a player, substitute, substituted player, and to non-players such as managers and support staff.[88][130] Rather than stopping play, the referee may allow play to continue if doing so will benefit the team against which an offence has been committed. This is known as "playing an advantage".[131] The referee may "call back" play and penalise the original offence if the anticipated advantage does not ensue within "a few seconds". Even if an offence is not penalised due to advantage being played, the offender may still be sanctioned for misconduct at the next stoppage of play.[132] The referee's decision in all on-pitch matters is considered final.[133] The score of a match cannot be altered after the game, even if later evidence shows that decisions (including awards/non-awards of goals) were incorrect. Off-field See also: Foul (association football) § Post-match Along with the general administration of the sport, football associations and competition organisers also enforce good conduct in wider aspects of the game, dealing with issues such as comments to the press, clubs' financial management, doping, age fraud and match fixing. Most competitions enforce mandatory suspensions for players who are sent off in a game.[134] Some on-field incidents, if considered very serious (such as allegations of racial abuse), may result in competitions deciding to impose heavier sanctions than those normally associated with a red card.[e] Some associations allow for appeals against player suspensions incurred on-field if clubs feel a referee was incorrect or unduly harsh.[134] Sanctions for such infractions may be levied on individuals or on clubs as a whole. Penalties may include fines, point deductions (in league competitions) or even expulsion from competitions. For example, the English Football League deduct 12 points from any team that enters financial administration.[135] Among other administrative sanctions are penalties against game forfeiture. Teams that had forfeited a game or had been forfeited against would be awarded a technical loss or win. Governing bodies See also: Association football around the world Headquarters of FIFA, the world governing body of football The recognised international governing body of football (and associated games, such as futsal and beach soccer)[d] is FIFA. The FIFA headquarters are located in Zürich, Switzerland. Six regional confederations are associated with FIFA; these are:[136]     Asia: Asian Football Confederation (AFC)     Africa: Confederation of African Football (CAF)     Europe: Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)     North/Central America & Caribbean: Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF)     Oceania: Oceania Football Confederation (OFC)     South America: Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (South American Football Confederation; CONMEBOL) National associations (or national federations) oversee football within individual countries. These are generally synonymous with sovereign states (for example, the Cameroonian Football Federation in Cameroon), but also include a smaller number of associations responsible for sub-national entities or autonomous regions (for example, the Scottish Football Association in Scotland). 211 national associations are affiliated both with FIFA and with their respective continental confederations.[136] While FIFA is responsible for arranging competitions and most rules related to international competition, the actual Laws of the Game are set by the IFAB, where each of the UK Associations has one vote, while FIFA collectively has four votes.[43] International competitions Main article: List of association football competitions The FIFA World Cup is the largest international competition in football and the world's most viewed sporting event International competitions in association football principally consist of two varieties: competitions involving representative national teams or those involving clubs based in multiple nations and national leagues. International football, without qualification, most often refers to the former. In the case of international club competition, it is the country of origin of the clubs involved, not the nationalities of their players, that renders the competition international in nature. The major international competition in football is the World Cup, organised by FIFA. This competition has taken place every four years since 1930, with the exception of the 1942 and 1946 tournaments, which were cancelled because of World War II. Approximately 190–200 national teams compete in qualifying tournaments within the scope of continental confederations for a place in the finals. The finals tournament, held every four years, involves 32 national teams competing over a four-week period.[f] The World Cup is the most prestigious association football tournament as well as the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world, exceeding even the Olympic Games; the cumulative audience of all matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup was estimated to be 26.29 billion with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the final match, a ninth of the entire population of the planet.[137][138][139][140] The current champions are Argentina, who won their third title at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.[141] The FIFA Women's World Cup has been held every four years since 1991. Under the tournament's current format, national teams vie for 31 slots in a three-year qualification phase, with the host nation's team entering automatically as the 32nd slot. The current champions are the United States, after winning their fourth title in the 2019 tournament. Spanish footballers Fernando Torres, Juan Mata, and Sergio Ramos celebrating winning the UEFA European Championship There has been a football tournament at every Summer Olympic Games since 1900, except at the 1932 games in Los Angeles.[142] Before the inception of the World Cup, the Olympics (especially during the 1920s) were the most prestigious international event. Originally, the tournament was for amateurs only.[42] As professionalism spread around the world, the gap in quality between the World Cup and the Olympics widened. The countries that benefited most were the Soviet Bloc countries of Eastern Europe, where top athletes were state-sponsored while retaining their status as amateurs. Between 1948 and 1980, 23 out of 27 Olympic medals were won by Eastern Europe, with only Sweden (gold in 1948 and bronze in 1952), Denmark (bronze in 1948 and silver in 1960) and Japan (bronze in 1968) breaking their dominance. For the 1984 Los Angeles Games, the IOC decided to admit professional players. Since 1992, male competitors must be under 23 years old, although since 1996, three players over the age of 23 have been allowed per squad. A women's tournament was added in 1996; in contrast to the men's event, full international sides without age restrictions play the women's Olympic tournament.[143] After the World Cup, the most important international football competitions are the continental championships, which are organised by each continental confederation and contested between national teams. These are the European Championship (UEFA), the Copa América (CONMEBOL), the African Cup of Nations (CAF), the Asian Cup (AFC), the CONCACAF Gold Cup (CONCACAF) and the OFC Nations Cup (OFC). The FIFA Confederations Cup was contested by the winners of all six continental championships, the current FIFA World Cup champions and the country which was hosting the next World Cup. This was generally regarded as a warm-up tournament for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and did not carry the same prestige as the World Cup itself. The tournament was discontinued following the 2017 edition. The UEFA Nations League and the CONCACAF Nations League also exist. The most prestigious competitions in club football are the respective continental championships, which are generally contested between national champions, for example, the UEFA Champions League in Europe and the Copa Libertadores in South America. The winners of each continental competition contest the FIFA Club World Cup.[144] Domestic competitions Main articles: Geography of association football and Geography of women's association football A 2009 Spanish La Liga match between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The fixture, known as El Clásico, is one of the most renowned in sport.[145] The governing bodies in each country operate league systems in a domestic season, normally comprising several divisions, in which the teams gain points throughout the season depending on results. Teams are placed into tables, placing them in order according to points accrued. Most commonly, each team plays every other team in its league at home and away in each season, in a round-robin tournament. At the end of a season, the top team is declared the champion. The top few teams may be promoted to a higher division, and one or more of the teams finishing at the bottom are relegated to a lower division.[146] The teams finishing at the top of a country's league may also be eligible to play in international club competitions in the following season. The main exceptions to this system occur in some Latin American leagues, which divide football championships into two sections named Apertura and Clausura (Spanish for Opening and Closing), awarding a champion for each.[147] The majority of countries supplement the league system with one or more "cup" competitions organised on a knock-out basis. Some countries' top divisions feature highly paid star players; in smaller countries, lower divisions, and most of women's clubs, players may be part-timers with a second job, or amateurs. The five top European leagues – Premier League (England),[148] Bundesliga (Germany), La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), and Ligue 1 (France) – attract most of the world's best players and, during the 2006-07 season, each of these leagues had a total wage cost in excess of €600 million.[149] See also     Sports portaliconGames portaliconAssociation football portaliconWomen's association football portal     List of association football films     List of association football video games Notes Listen to this article (30 minutes) 30:27 Spoken Wikipedia icon This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 5 September 2007, and does not reflect subsequent edits. (Audio help · More spoken articles) For further information, see names for association football. In 1970 and in 1971, two unofficial women's World Cups were organised by FIEFF. See Football#Early history for more information. See List of types of football#Games descended from The FA rules for a list of association football variations. For example, the English Premier League fined and levied an 8-match suspension on Luis Suárez for racially abusing Patrice Evra.     The number of competing teams has varied over the history of the competition. References "In a globalised world, the football World Cup is a force for good". The Conversation. 10 July 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2014. "MLS as a Sports Product—The Prominence of the World's Game in the U.S. - Working Paper - Faculty & Research - Harvard Business School". www.hbs.edu. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023. "History of Football – Britain, the home of Football". FIFA. Archived from the original on 28 March 2013. "History of Football – The Origins". FIFA. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2013. 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Click here for more information. Page semi-protected From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For the equivalent award given to the best women's football player, see Ballon d'Or Féminin. Ballon d'Or Ballon d'Or trophy Date    1956; 67 years ago Country    France Presented by    France Football First awarded    1956 Current holder    France Karim Benzema (1st award) Most awards    Argentina Lionel Messi (7 awards) Most nominations    Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo (18 nominations)[1] Website    francefootball.fr ← 2021 ·     Ballon d'Or     · 2022 → The Ballon d'Or (French pronunciation: [balɔ̃ dɔʁ] (listen); lit. 'Golden Ball') is an annual football award presented by French news magazine France Football since 1956. Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year (founded in 1991) and known as the FIFA Ballon d'Or. That partnership ended in 2016, and the award reverted to the Ballon d'Or, while FIFA also reverted to its own separate annual award The Best FIFA Men's Player. The recipients of the joint FIFA Ballon d'Or are considered as winners by both award organisations. The Ballon d’Or is generally regarded as football’s most prestigious and valuable individual award.[2] Conceived by sports writers Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran, the Ballon d'Or award honours the male player deemed to have performed the best over the previous year, based on voting by football journalists, from 1956 to 2006.[3] Originally, it was awarded only to players from Europe and widely known as the European Footballer of the Year award. In 1995, the Ballon d'Or was expanded to include all players from any origin that have been active at European clubs.[4][5] After 2007, coaches and captains of national teams were also given the right to vote.[3] The award became a global prize in 2007 with all professional footballers from around the world being eligible.[6] In 2022, France Football modified the rules for the Ballon d'Or. They changed the timing so that awards were given not for achievements during a calendar year, but for a football season.[7] It was also decided that only those countries in the top 100 of the FIFA World Ranking would be allowed to vote.[7] History Stanley Matthews of England was the inaugural winner of the Ballon d'Or.[8] Prior to 2007, the award was generally known as the continental European Footballer of the Year award in English language and much international media. Even after 2007, it was usually identified with and referred to by that name because of its origin as a European award, until it was merged with FIFA's World Player award cementing its new worldwide claim.[9][10][11][12] Liberia's George Weah, the only African recipient, became the first non-European to win the award in 1995, the year that rules of eligibility were changed.[5] Ronaldo of Brazil became the first South American winner two years later.[5] Lionel Messi has won the award a record seven times, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo with five. Three players have won the award three times each: Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini, and Marco van Basten. With seven awards each, Dutch, German, Argentine, Portuguese and French players have won the most Ballons d'Or. Players from Germany (1972, 1981) and the Netherlands (1988) occupied the top-three top spots in a single year (a feat achieved only three times in history). German (1972) and Italian (1988–1990) clubs achieved the same feat, including two individual years dominated by AC Milan players (1988, 1989), a unique record until Spanish clubs experienced an unforeseen dominance (2009–2012, 2015, 2016) and Barcelona (2010) became the second club to occupy the top-three. Two Spanish clubs, Barcelona and Real Madrid, also lead the ranking for producing the most winners, with 12 wins each.[13] Between 2010 and 2015 inclusive, the award was merged with a similar one, the FIFA World Player of the Year award, to create the FIFA Ballon d'Or, which was awarded to the world's best male player before FIFA and France Football decided not to continue the merging agreement.[14] After 2011, UEFA created the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award to maintain the tradition of the original Ballon d'Or of specifically honouring a football player from Europe.[15] In 2020, the Group L'Équipe, to which France Football belongs, decided that no award would be given for the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic cutting short the seasons of football clubs worldwide.[16] The widespread public opinion is that the 2020 award should have been given to Robert Lewandowski.[17][18][19] The award shows a bias in favor of attacking players, which has increased in recent years, especially after 2007.[3] Over time, the award has gone to a more exclusive set of leagues and clubs.[3] Prior to 1995, 10 leagues supplied Ballon d'Or winners, whereas only England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain have supplied winners since 1995.[3] Spain's La Liga has the most Ballon d'Or winners.[3] Barcelona and Real Madrid have supplied the most Ballon d'Or winners since 1995.[3] In 2022, France Football modified the rules for the Ballon d'Or. They changed the timing so that awards were given not for achievements during a calendar year, but for a football season.[7] It was also decided that only those countries in the top 100 of the FIFA World Ranking would be allowed to vote. The plebiscite had previously been open to all countries since 2007. This brought the Ballon d'Or into line with the UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award which was slightly less dominated by exclusive leagues and, in particular, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in recent years.[7] Nine players (Bobby Charlton, Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Paolo Rossi, Zinedine Zidane, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaká, and Lionel Messi) have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, and the Ballon d'Or during their careers. Winners Lionel Messi has won the most Ballons d'Or in history, with seven. He is also the record holder for most consecutive wins with four in a row (2009-2012). Note: Until 2021, the Ballon d'Or was awarded based on player performance during the calendar year. Since 2022, jurors have been instructed to take into account the previous season.[20] Key   ‡       This indicates the Ballon d'Or winning player also won the FIFA World Player of the Year or The Best FIFA Men's Player award in the same year (available in 1991–2009 and from 2016) Cristiano Ronaldo has the most nominations and highest points total in Ballon d'Or history.[21]He is the second most winner of the award in history. George Weah was the first non-European and first African national team player to win the award. Lev Yashin is the only goalkeeper to win the award. Franz Beckenbauer is the only defender to win the award twice. Year     Rank     Player     Team     Points Ballon d'Or (1956–2009) 1956     1st     England Stanley Matthews     England Blackpool     47 2nd     Spain Alfredo Di Stéfano     Spain Real Madrid     44 3rd     France Raymond Kopa[note 1]     Spain Real Madrid     33 1957     1st     Spain Alfredo Di Stéfano[note 2]     Spain Real Madrid     72 2nd     England Billy Wright     England Wolverhampton Wanderers     19 3rd     England Duncan Edwards     England Manchester United     16 France Raymond Kopa     Spain Real Madrid 1958     1st     France Raymond Kopa     Spain Real Madrid     71 2nd     West Germany Helmut Rahn     West Germany Rot-Weiss Essen     40 3rd     France Just Fontaine     France Reims     23 1959     1st     Spain Alfredo Di Stéfano     Spain Real Madrid     80 2nd     France Raymond Kopa[note 3]     France Reims     42 3rd     Wales John Charles     Italy Juventus     24 1960     1st     Spain Luis Suárez     Spain Barcelona     54 2nd     Hungary Ferenc Puskás     Spain Real Madrid     37 3rd     West Germany Uwe Seeler     West Germany Hamburger SV     33 1961     1st     Italy Omar Sívori[note 4]     Italy Juventus     46 2nd     Spain Luis Suárez[note 5]     Italy Inter Milan     40 3rd     England Johnny Haynes     England Fulham     22 1962     1st     Czechoslovakia Josef Masopust     Czechoslovakia Dukla Prague     65 2nd     Portugal Eusébio     Portugal Benfica     53 3rd     West Germany Karl-Heinz Schnellinger     West Germany 1. FC Köln     33 1963     1st     Soviet Union Lev Yashin     Soviet Union Dynamo Moscow     73 2nd     Italy Gianni Rivera     Italy AC Milan     55 3rd     England Jimmy Greaves     England Tottenham Hotspur     50 1964     1st     Scotland Denis Law     England Manchester United     61 2nd     Spain Luis Suárez     Italy Inter Milan     43 3rd     Spain Amancio     Spain Real Madrid     38 1965     1st     Portugal Eusébio     Portugal Benfica     67 2nd     Italy Giacinto Facchetti     Italy Inter Milan     59 3rd     Spain Luis Suárez     Italy Inter Milan     45 1966     1st     England Bobby Charlton     England Manchester United     81 2nd     Portugal Eusébio     Portugal Benfica     80 3rd     West Germany Franz Beckenbauer     West Germany Bayern Munich     59 1967     1st     Hungary Flórián Albert     Hungary Ferencváros     68 2nd     England Bobby Charlton     England Manchester United     40 3rd     Scotland Jimmy Johnstone     Scotland Celtic     39 1968     1st     Northern Ireland George Best     England Manchester United     61 2nd     England Bobby Charlton     England Manchester United     53 3rd     Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dragan Džajić     Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade     46 1969     1st     Italy Gianni Rivera     Italy AC Milan     83 2nd     Italy Gigi Riva     Italy Cagliari     79 3rd     West Germany Gerd Müller     West Germany Bayern Munich     38 1970     1st     West Germany Gerd Müller     West Germany Bayern Munich     77 2nd     England Bobby Moore     England West Ham United     70 3rd     Italy Gigi Riva     Italy Cagliari     65 1971     1st     Netherlands Johan Cruyff     Netherlands Ajax     116 2nd     Italy Sandro Mazzola     Italy Inter Milan     57 3rd     Northern Ireland George Best     England Manchester United     56 1972     1st     West Germany Franz Beckenbauer     West Germany Bayern Munich     81 2nd     West Germany Gerd Müller     West Germany Bayern Munich     79 West Germany Günter Netzer     West Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach 1973     1st     Netherlands Johan Cruyff[note 6]     Spain Barcelona     96 2nd     Italy Dino Zoff     Italy Juventus     47 3rd     West Germany Gerd Müller     West Germany Bayern Munich     44 1974     1st     Netherlands Johan Cruyff     Spain Barcelona     116 2nd     West Germany Franz Beckenbauer     West Germany Bayern Munich     105 3rd     Poland Kazimierz Deyna     Poland Legia Warsaw     35 1975     1st     Soviet Union Oleg Blokhin     Soviet Union Dynamo Kyiv     122 2nd     West Germany Franz Beckenbauer     West Germany Bayern Munich     42 3rd     Netherlands Johan Cruyff     Spain Barcelona     27 1976     1st     West Germany Franz Beckenbauer     West Germany Bayern Munich     91 2nd     Netherlands Rob Rensenbrink     Belgium Anderlecht     75 3rd     Czechoslovakia Ivo Viktor     Czechoslovakia Dukla Prague     52 1977     1st     Denmark Allan Simonsen     West Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach     74 2nd     England Kevin Keegan[note 7]     West Germany Hamburger SV     71 3rd     France Michel Platini     France Nancy     70 1978     1st     England Kevin Keegan     West Germany Hamburger SV     87 2nd     Austria Hans Krankl[note 8]     Spain Barcelona     81 3rd     Netherlands Rob Rensenbrink     Belgium Anderlecht     50 1979     1st     England Kevin Keegan     West Germany Hamburger SV     118 2nd     West Germany Karl-Heinz Rummenigge     West Germany Bayern Munich     52 3rd     Netherlands Ruud Krol     Netherlands Ajax     41 1980     1st     West Germany Karl-Heinz Rummenigge     West Germany Bayern Munich     122 2nd     West Germany Bernd Schuster[note 9]     Spain Barcelona     34 3rd     France Michel Platini     France Saint-Étienne     33 1981     1st     West Germany Karl-Heinz Rummenigge     West Germany Bayern Munich     106 2nd     West Germany Paul Breitner     West Germany Bayern Munich     64 3rd     West Germany Bernd Schuster     Spain Barcelona     39 1982     1st     Italy Paolo Rossi     Italy Juventus     115 2nd     France Alain Giresse     France Girondins de Bordeaux     64 3rd     Poland Zbigniew Boniek[note 10]     Italy Juventus     39 1983     1st     France Michel Platini     Italy Juventus     110 2nd     Scotland Kenny Dalglish     England Liverpool     26 3rd     Denmark Allan Simonsen[note 11]     Denmark Vejle BK     25 1984     1st     France Michel Platini     Italy Juventus     110 2nd     France Jean Tigana     France Girondins de Bordeaux     57 3rd     Denmark Preben Elkjær[note 12]     Italy Hellas Verona     48 1985     1st     France Michel Platini     Italy Juventus     127 2nd     Denmark Preben Elkjær     Italy Hellas Verona     71 3rd     West Germany Bernd Schuster     Spain Barcelona     46 1986     1st     Soviet Union Igor Belanov     Soviet Union Dynamo Kyiv     84 2nd     England Gary Lineker[note 13]     Spain Barcelona     62 3rd     Spain Emilio Butragueño     Spain Real Madrid     59 1987     1st     Netherlands Ruud Gullit[note 14]     Italy AC Milan     106 2nd     Portugal Paulo Futre[note 15]     Spain Atlético Madrid     91 3rd     Spain Emilio Butragueño     Spain Real Madrid     61 1988     1st     Netherlands Marco van Basten     Italy AC Milan     129 2nd     Netherlands Ruud Gullit     Italy AC Milan     88 3rd     Netherlands Frank Rijkaard[note 16]     Italy AC Milan     45 1989     1st     Netherlands Marco van Basten     Italy AC Milan     129 2nd     Italy Franco Baresi     Italy AC Milan     80 3rd     Netherlands Frank Rijkaard     Italy AC Milan     43 1990     1st     Germany Lothar Matthäus     Italy Inter Milan     137 2nd     Italy Salvatore Schillaci     Italy Juventus     84 3rd     Germany Andreas Brehme     Italy Inter Milan     68 1991     1st     France Jean-Pierre Papin     France Marseille     141 2nd     Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Dejan Savićević     Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade     42 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Darko Pančev     Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade Germany Lothar Matthäus     Italy Inter Milan 1992     1st     Netherlands Marco van Basten ‡     Italy AC Milan     98 2nd     Bulgaria Hristo Stoichkov     Spain Barcelona     80 3rd     Netherlands Dennis Bergkamp     Netherlands Ajax     53 1993     1st     Italy Roberto Baggio ‡     Italy Juventus     142 2nd     Netherlands Dennis Bergkamp[note 17]     Italy Inter Milan     83 3rd     France Eric Cantona     England Manchester United     34 1994     1st     Bulgaria Hristo Stoichkov     Spain Barcelona     210 2nd     Italy Roberto Baggio     Italy Juventus     136 3rd     Italy Paolo Maldini     Italy AC Milan     109 1995     1st     Liberia George Weah ‡[note 18]     Italy AC Milan     144 2nd     Germany Jürgen Klinsmann[note 19]     Germany Bayern Munich     108 3rd     Finland Jari Litmanen     Netherlands Ajax     67 1996     1st     Germany Matthias Sammer     Germany Borussia Dortmund     144 2nd     Brazil Ronaldo[note 20]     Spain Barcelona     143 3rd     England Alan Shearer[note 21]     England Newcastle United     107 1997     1st     Brazil Ronaldo ‡[note 22]     Italy Inter Milan     222 2nd     Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Predrag Mijatović     Spain Real Madrid     68 3rd     France Zinedine Zidane     Italy Juventus     63 1998     1st     France Zinedine Zidane ‡     Italy Juventus     244 2nd     Croatia Davor Šuker     Spain Real Madrid     68 3rd     Brazil Ronaldo     Italy Inter Milan     66 1999     1st     Brazil Rivaldo ‡     Spain Barcelona     219 2nd     England David Beckham     England Manchester United     154 3rd     Ukraine Andriy Shevchenko[note 23]     Italy AC Milan     64 2000     1st     Portugal Luís Figo[note 24]     Spain Real Madrid     197 2nd     France Zinedine Zidane     Italy Juventus     181 3rd     Ukraine Andriy Shevchenko     Italy AC Milan     85 2001     1st     England Michael Owen     England Liverpool     176 2nd     Spain Raúl     Spain Real Madrid     140 3rd     Germany Oliver Kahn     Germany Bayern Munich     114 2002     1st     Brazil Ronaldo ‡[note 25]     Spain Real Madrid     169 2nd     Brazil Roberto Carlos     Spain Real Madrid     145 3rd     Germany Oliver Kahn     Germany Bayern Munich     110 2003     1st     Czech Republic Pavel Nedvěd     Italy Juventus     190 2nd     France Thierry Henry     England Arsenal     128 3rd     Italy Paolo Maldini     Italy AC Milan     123 2004     1st     Ukraine Andriy Shevchenko     Italy AC Milan     175 2nd     Portugal Deco[note 26]     Spain Barcelona     139 3rd     Brazil Ronaldinho     Spain Barcelona     133 2005     1st     Brazil Ronaldinho ‡     Spain Barcelona     225 2nd     England Frank Lampard     England Chelsea     148 3rd     England Steven Gerrard     England Liverpool     142 2006     1st     Italy Fabio Cannavaro ‡[note 27]     Spain Real Madrid     173 2nd     Italy Gianluigi Buffon     Italy Juventus     124 3rd     France Thierry Henry     England Arsenal     121 2007     1st     Brazil Kaká ‡     Italy AC Milan     444 2nd     Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo     England Manchester United     277 3rd     Argentina Lionel Messi     Spain Barcelona     255 2008     1st     Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo ‡     England Manchester United     446 2nd     Argentina Lionel Messi     Spain Barcelona     281 3rd     Spain Fernando Torres     England Liverpool     179 2009     1st     Argentina Lionel Messi ‡     Spain Barcelona     473 2nd     Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo[note 28]     Spain Real Madrid     233 3rd     Spain Xavi     Spain Barcelona     170 FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010–2015) 2010     1st     Argentina Lionel Messi     Spain Barcelona     22.65% 2nd     Spain Andrés Iniesta     Spain Barcelona     17.36% 3rd     Spain Xavi     Spain Barcelona     16.48% 2011     1st     Argentina Lionel Messi     Spain Barcelona     47.88% 2nd     Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo     Spain Real Madrid     21.60% 3rd     Spain Xavi     Spain Barcelona     9.23% 2012     1st     Argentina Lionel Messi     Spain Barcelona     41.60% 2nd     Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo     Spain Real Madrid     23.68% 3rd     Spain Andrés Iniesta     Spain Barcelona     10.91% 2013     1st     Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo     Spain Real Madrid     27.99% 2nd     Argentina Lionel Messi     Spain Barcelona     24.72% 3rd     France Franck Ribéry     Germany Bayern Munich     23.36% 2014     1st     Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo     Spain Real Madrid     37.66% 2nd     Argentina Lionel Messi     Spain Barcelona     15.76% 3rd     Germany Manuel Neuer     Germany Bayern Munich     15.72% 2015     1st     Argentina Lionel Messi     Spain Barcelona     41.33% 2nd     Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo     Spain Real Madrid     27.76% 3rd     Brazil Neymar     Spain Barcelona     7.86% Ballon d'Or (2016–present) 2016     1st     Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo ‡     Spain Real Madrid     745 2nd     Argentina Lionel Messi     Spain Barcelona     316 3rd     France Antoine Griezmann     Spain Atlético Madrid     198 2017     1st     Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo ‡     Spain Real Madrid     946 2nd     Argentina Lionel Messi     Spain Barcelona     670 3rd     Brazil Neymar[note 29]     France Paris Saint-Germain     361 2018     1st     Croatia Luka Modrić ‡     Spain Real Madrid     753 2nd     Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo[note 30]     Italy Juventus     476 3rd     France Antoine Griezmann     Spain Atlético Madrid     414 2019     1st     Argentina Lionel Messi ‡     Spain Barcelona     686 2nd     Netherlands Virgil van Dijk     England Liverpool     679 3rd     Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo     Italy Juventus     476 2020     Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic[16] 2021     1st     Argentina Lionel Messi[note 31]     France Paris Saint-Germain     613 2nd     Poland Robert Lewandowski     Germany Bayern Munich     580 3rd     Italy Jorginho     England Chelsea     460 2022     1st     France Karim Benzema     Spain Real Madrid     549 2nd     Senegal Sadio Mané     England Liverpool     193 3rd     Belgium Kevin De Bruyne     England Manchester City     175 Wins by player Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi won 10 consecutive Ballon d'Or trophies between them from 2008 to 2018. Michel Platini won the award three years running (1983–85). Ronaldo Nazario is the youngest player to win the Ballon d'Or. Johan Cruyff (left) and Marco van Basten, both of the Netherlands, each won three times. Player     Winner     Second place     Third place Argentina Lionel Messi[note 32]     7 (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021)     5 (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)     1 (2007) Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo[note 33]     5 (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)     6 (2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018)     1 (2019) France Michel Platini     3 (1983, 1984, 1985)     —     2 (1977, 1980) Netherlands Johan Cruyff     3 (1971, 1973, 1974)     —     1 (1975) Netherlands Marco van Basten     3 (1988, 1989, 1992)     —     — West Germany Franz Beckenbauer     2 (1972, 1976)     2 (1974, 1975)     1 (1966) Brazil Ronaldo     2 (1997, 2002)     1 (1996)     1 (1998) Spain Alfredo Di Stéfano     2 (1957, 1959)     1 (1956)     — England Kevin Keegan     2 (1978, 1979)     1 (1977)     — West Germany Karl-Heinz Rummenigge     2 (1980, 1981)     1 (1979)     — Spain Luis Suárez     1 (1960)     2 (1961, 1964)     1 (1965) Portugal Eusébio     1 (1965)     2 (1962, 1966)     — England Bobby Charlton     1 (1966)     2 (1967, 1968)     — France Raymond Kopa     1 (1958)     1 (1959)     2 (1956, 1957) West Germany Gerd Müller     1 (1970)     1 (1972)     2 (1969, 1973) France Zinedine Zidane     1 (1998)     1 (2000)     1 (1997) Italy Gianni Rivera     1 (1969)     1 (1963)     — Netherlands Ruud Gullit     1 (1987)     1 (1988)     — Germany Lothar Matthäus     1 (1990)     1 (1991)     — Italy Roberto Baggio     1 (1993)     1 (1994)     — Bulgaria Hristo Stoichkov     1 (1994)     1 (1992)     — Ukraine Andriy Shevchenko     1 (2004)     —     2 (1999, 2000) Northern Ireland George Best     1 (1968)     —     1 (1971) Denmark Allan Simonsen     1 (1977)     —     1 (1983) Brazil Ronaldinho     1 (2005)     —     1 (2004) Hungary Flórián Albert     1 (1967)     —     — France Jean-Pierre Papin     1 (1991)     —     — Liberia George Weah     1 (1995)     —     — Germany Matthias Sammer     1 (1996)     —     — Brazil Rivaldo     1 (1999)     —     — Portugal Luís Figo     1 (2000)     —     — England Michael Owen     1 (2001)     —     — Czech Republic Pavel Nedvěd     1 (2003)     —     — Italy Fabio Cannavaro     1 (2006)     —     — Brazil Kaká     1 (2007)     —     — Croatia Luka Modrić     1 (2018)     —     — France Karim Benzema     1 (2022)     —     — Wins by country Three Ukrainian players have won the Ballon d'Or: Andriy Shevchenko, Oleg Blokhin, and Igor Belanov. Marco van Basten (left) and Ruud Gullit, teammates for AC Milan and the Netherlands, won in consecutive years from 1987 to 1989. Country     Players     Wins  France     5     7  Germany     5     7  Netherlands     3     7  Portugal     3     7  Argentina     1     7  Italy     5     5  Brazil     4     5  England     4     5  Soviet Union     3     3  Spain     2     3  Bulgaria     1     1  Croatia     1     1  Czech Republic     1     1  Czechoslovakia     1     1  Denmark     1     1  Hungary     1     1  Liberia     1     1  Northern Ireland     1     1  Scotland     1     1  Ukraine     1     1 Wins by club Club     Players     Wins Spain Real Madrid     8     12 Spain Barcelona     6     12 Italy Juventus     6     8 Italy AC Milan     6     8 Germany Bayern Munich     3     5 England Manchester United     4     4 Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv     2     2 Italy Inter Milan     2     2 Germany Hamburger SV     1     2 Netherlands Ajax     1     1 Portugal Benfica     1     1 England Blackpool     1     1 Germany Borussia Dortmund     1     1 Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach     1     1 Czech Republic Dukla Prague     1     1 Russia Dynamo Moscow     1     1 Hungary Ferencváros     1     1 England Liverpool     1     1 France Marseille     1     1 France Paris Saint-Germain     1     1 Additional awards Ballon d'Or Dream Team Main article: Ballon d'Or Dream Team Super Ballon d'Or Main article: Super Ballon d'Or An honorary award, under the name Super Ballon d'Or, was awarded to Alfredo Di Stéfano in 1989, who was voted the best multiple-time Ballon d'Or winner ahead of Johan Cruyff and Michel Platini.[24] In addition Diego Maradona received an honorary Ballon d'Or in 1995 for his services to football dubbed the Golden Ballon d'Or.[25][26] Pelé also received a similar award in January 2014 dubbed the FIFA Ballon d’Or Prix d’Honneur.[27] Kopa Trophy Main article: Kopa Trophy Since 2018 France Football has given out the Kopa Trophy to the best U21 player in the world. The award is named after former Ballon d'Or winner Raymond Kopa. Yashin Trophy Main article: Yashin Trophy First awarded in 2019, the Yashin Trophy is presented to the best goalkeeper of the year. The award was named after Soviet goalkeeper and former Ballon d'Or winner Lev Yashin.[28] Gerd Müller Trophy Main article: Gerd Müller Trophy In 2021 France Football awarded Robert Lewandowski with a Striker of the Year award for scoring the most goals the previous season. After Gerd Müller passing the award was renamed as the Gerd Müller Trophy.[29][30] Club of the Year France Football first gave out the Club of the Year award in 2021, with the inaugural winner being Chelsea.[31][32] Sócrates Award In 2022 France Football gave out the first edition of the Sócrates Award to Sadio Mané for his humanitarian efforts in Senegal.[33] The award was named after Brazilian footballer Sócrates. Football Player of the Century A decade later, France Football voted Pelé as the Football Player of the Century after consulting their former Ballon d'Or recipients. Among the 34 previous winners, 30 cast their votes, while Stanley Matthews, Omar Sívori and George Best refused to vote, and Lev Yashin had died. Each voter was allotted five votes worth up to five points; however, Di Stéfano only chose a first place, Platini a first and second place, and George Weah two players for fifth place. Pelé was named the greatest by 17 voters, receiving almost double the number of points earned by the runner-up, Diego Maradona.[34][35] Football Player of the Century Player     Pts     1st     2nd     3rd     4th     5th Brazil Pelé     122     17     5     4     2     1 Argentina Diego Maradona     65     3     6     5     5     1 Netherlands Johan Cruyff     62     1     4     7     9     2 Spain Alfredo Di Stéfano     44     4     3     3     1     1 France Michel Platini     40     1     5     1     3     6 Le nouveau palmarès To coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Ballon d'Or in 2016, France Football published a reevaluation of the awards presented before 1995, when only European players were eligible to win the award. 12 out of the 39 Ballons d'Or presented during this time period would have been awarded to South American players; in addition to Pelé and Diego Maradona, Garrincha, Mario Kempes, and Romário were retrospectively recognized as worthy winners. The original recipients, however, remain unchanged.[36] Le nouveau palmarès (internationalized reevaluation) Year     Original winner     Alternative 1958     France Raymond Kopa     Brazil Pelé 1959     Spain Alfredo Di Stéfano     Brazil Pelé 1960     Spain Luis Suárez     Brazil Pelé 1961     Italy Omar Sívori     Brazil Pelé 1962     Czechoslovakia Josef Masopust     Brazil Garrincha 1963     Soviet Union Lev Yashin     Brazil Pelé 1964     Scotland Denis Law     Brazil Pelé 1970     West Germany Gerd Müller     Brazil Pelé 1978     England Kevin Keegan     Argentina Mario Kempes 1986     Soviet Union Igor Belanov     Argentina Diego Maradona 1990     Germany Lothar Matthäus     Argentina Diego Maradona 1994     Bulgaria Hristo Stoichkov     Brazil Romário All-Star Team In 1978, France Football published an article about that year's South American Footballer of the Year award in which they hypothesised a match between a South American All-Star Team and a European All-Star team, featuring the players who had performed the best in the award rankings.[37] An article from 1994 published by El País reports a "Golden Team" having been chosen at the 1994 Ballon d'Or gala.[38] Goalkeeper     Defenders     Midfielders     Forwards Sweden Ronnie Hellström      France Marius Trésor Netherlands Ruud Krol West Germany Rainer Bonhof Italy Antonio Cabrini      Netherlands Willy van de Kerkhof Netherlands Arie Haan Scotland Graeme Souness      England Kevin Keegan Austria Hans Krankl Netherlands Rob Rensenbrink Sweden Thomas Ravelli      France Marcel Desailly Italy Paolo Maldini Belgium Philippe Albert      Sweden Tomas Brolin Finland Jari Litmanen Bulgaria Yordan Letchkov Romania Gheorghe Hagi Italy Roberto Baggio      Germany Jürgen Klinsmann Bulgaria Hristo Stoichkov See also     Super Ballon d'Or     The Best FIFA Football Awards     FIFPro World11     Ballon d'Or Féminin     Gerd Müller Trophy     Kopa Trophy     Yashin Trophy     UEFA Men's Player of the Year Award     UEFA Club Footballer of the Year     Bravo Award     Golden Boy     Golden Player Notes Kopa was signed by Real Madrid from Reims midway through 1956. Born in Argentina, Di Stéfano acquired Spanish citizenship in 1956 and went on to play for the Spanish national team. Kopa was signed by Reims from Real Madrid midway through 1959. Born in Argentina, Sívori acquired Italian citizenship in 1961 and went on to play for the Italian national team. Luis Suárez was signed by Internazionale from Barcelona midway through 1961. Cruyff was signed by Barcelona from Ajax midway through 1973. Keegan was signed by Hamburger SV from Liverpool midway through 1977. Krankl was signed by Barcelona from Rapid Wien midway through 1978. Schuster was signed by Barcelona from 1. FC Köln midway through 1980. Boniek was signed by Juventus from Widzew Łódź midway through 1982. Simonsen was signed by Vejle BK from Charlton Athletic midway through 1983. Elkjær was signed by Hellas Verona from Lokeren midway through 1984. Lineker was signed by Barcelona from Everton midway through 1986. Gullit was signed by AC Milan from PSV Eindhoven midway through 1987. Futre was signed by Atlético Madrid from Porto midway through 1987. Rijkaard was signed by AC Milan from Zaragoza midway through 1988. Bergkamp was signed by Internazionale from Ajax midway through 1993. Weah was signed by AC Milan from Paris Saint-Germain midway through 1995. Klinsmann was signed by Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur midway through 1995. Ronaldo was signed by Barcelona from PSV Eindhoven midway through 1996. Shearer was signed by Newcastle United from Blackburn Rovers midway through 1996. Ronaldo was signed by Internazionale from Barcelona midway through 1997. Shevchenko was signed by AC Milan from Dynamo Kyiv midway through 1999. Figo was signed by Real Madrid from Barcelona midway through 2000. Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid from Inter Milan midway through 2002. Deco was signed by Barcelona from Porto midway through 2004. Cannavaro was signed by Real Madrid from Juventus midway through 2006. Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by Real Madrid from Manchester United midway through 2009. Neymar was signed by Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona midway through 2017. Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by Juventus from Real Madrid midway through 2018. Messi was signed by Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona midway through 2021. Messi won four FIFA Ballons d'Or (2010, 2011, 2012, 2015) and twice finished in second place (2013, 2014).[22][23]     Cristiano Ronaldo won two FIFA Ballons d'Or (2013, 2014) and finished in second place three times (2011, 2012, 2015).[22][23] References "Ballon d'Or: Players who have received the most nominations". 90min. 15 November 2021. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021. "Ballon d'Or, FIFA The Best awards: what's the difference between them?". Diario AS. 24 February 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2023. "Created by France Football in 1956, the Ballon d'Or is generally regarded as soccer's most prestigious award." Straeten, Karine van der; Laslier, Jean-François; Daoust, Jean-François; Blais, André; Arrondel, Luc; Anderson, Christopher J. (2020). "Messi, Ronaldo, and the Politics of Celebrity Elections: Voting for the Best Soccer Player in the World". Perspectives on Politics. 18: 91–110. doi:10.1017/S1537592719002391. ISSN 1537-5927. "Matthews wins first Golden Ball". BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008. "The 1990s Ballon d'Or winners". BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008. "Kaka wins 2007 award". BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008. "Ballon d'Or : Quatre changements pour l'histoire". "Ronaldo joins legendary list". BBC Sport. 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008. "Kaka named world's best player". The Guardian. 17 December 2007. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2020. "Kaka named European Footballer of the Year". World Soccer. 2 December 2007. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020. "Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo wants 'to get better' after winning European award". The Telegraph. 2 December 2018. Archived from the original on 18 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020. "FIFA World Player Gala 2008". FIFA.com. 12 January 2009. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020. "Rankings by Wins". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 9 October 2008. Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2008. "The FIFA Ballon d'Or is born". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 5 July 2010. Archived from the original on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012. "How the award came about". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 August 2011. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2011. "THE BALLON D'OR® WILL NOT BE AWARDED IN 2020". L'Equipe. 20 July 2020. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020. Andrews, Connor (1 December 2021). "Robert Lewandowski was cruelly robbed of 2020 Ballon d'Or and striker's 2021 stats are far better than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who praised him". Talksport. Retrieved 22 December 2022. "Lewandowski could still receive 2020 Ballon d'Or: France Football should think about it". Marca. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2022. "PSG's Lionel Messi: Robert Lewandowski deserved to win 2020 Ballon d'Or award". ESPN. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2022. Reidy, Paul (17 October 2022). "Ballon d'Or, FIFA The Best awards: what's the difference between them?". AS.com. Retrieved 10 November 2022. rajarshi shukla (12 September 2022). "Players with the most Ballon d'Or votes in football history". Khel Now. Retrieved 30 March 2023. "La liste complête des lauréats du Ballon d'or, de 1956 à nos jours". France Football. Archived from the original on 6 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016. "FIFA Awards – World Player of the Year". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 12 February 2015. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2016. "On this day, Di Stéfano won the Super Ballon d'Or". RealMadrid.com. 24 December 2015. Archived from the original on 25 December 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2016. "Combien de Ballon(s) d'Or France Football aurait pu remporter Diego Maradona ?". France Football (in French). 29 October 2020. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020. "The Super Ballon d'Or, the most prestigious and rare award only ONE player has ever won". SPORTbible. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2023. "Pele receives FIFA Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur". FIFA.com. 13 January 2014. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2016. "Ballon d'Or 2019: Yachine Trophy: the candidates for the award". Diario AS. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2023. "Ballon d'Or 2021 - Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski wins Goalscorer of the Year award". Eurosport.com. Eurosport. 29 November 2021. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2022. Murray, Scott (29 November 2021). "Alexia Putellas and Lionel Messi win 2021 Ballon d'Or – as it happened". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 May 2023. "Chelsea sacré club de l'année". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 25 May 2023. "Ballon d'Or 2022: Benzema wins, awards, winners and latest updates from the ceremony". Diario AS. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2023. "Mane wins Socrates Award 2022". www.besoccer.com. Retrieved 25 May 2023. Stokkermans, Karel (23 December 2015). "France Football's Football Player of the Century". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2016. "France Football Player of the Century - Who voted for who?". BigSoccer Forum. Retrieved 25 May 2023. Marchand, Thierry (December 2015). "On a refait le palmarès". France Football. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2016. "Best soccer player in America ("El Mundo" of Venezuela)". BigSoccer Forum. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2022.     "París corona a Stoichkov como rey de Europa | Deportes | EL PAÍS". 12 July 2022. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2023. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ballon d'Or.     "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or")". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 9 October 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2008.     "La liste complête des lauréats du Ballon d'or, de 1956 à nos jours". France Football. Retrieved 24 March 2015.     vte Ballon d'Or     France Football magazine award Ballon d'Or (1956–2009)        1956: Matthews 1957: Di Stéfano 1958: Kopa 1959: Di Stéfano 1960: Suárez 1961: Sívori 1962: Masopust 1963: Yashin 1964: Law 1965: Eusébio 1966: Charlton 1967: Albert 1968: Best 1969: Rivera 1970: Müller 1971: Cruyff 1972: Beckenbauer 1973: Cruyff 1974: Cruyff 1975: Blokhin 1976: Beckenbauer 1977: Simonsen 1978: Keegan 1979: Keegan 1980: Rummenigge 1981: Rummenigge 1982: Rossi 1983: Platini 1984: Platini 1985: Platini 1986: Belanov 1987: Gullit 1988: Van Basten 1989: Van Basten 1990: Matthäus 1991: Papin 1992: Van Basten 1993: Baggio 1994: Stoichkov 1995: Weah 1996: Sammer 1997: Ronaldo 1998: Zidane 1999: Rivaldo 2000: Figo 2001: Owen 2002: Ronaldo 2003: Nedvěd 2004: Shevchenko 2005: Ronaldinho 2006: Cannavaro 2007: Kaká 2008: C. Ronaldo 2009: Messi FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010–2015)        2010: Messi 2011: Messi 2012: Messi 2013: C. Ronaldo 2014: C. Ronaldo 2015: Messi Ballon d'Or (2016–present)        2016: C. Ronaldo 2017: C. Ronaldo 2018: Modrić 2019: Messi 2020: not awarded 2021: Messi 2022: Benzema     FIFA World Player of the Year (1991–2009) FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010–2015) The Best FIFA Men's Player (2016–present) Ballon d'Or Féminin (2018–present) Kopa Trophy (2018–present) Yashin Trophy (2019–present)     vte Ballon d'Or Féminin     France Football magazine award Ballon d'Or (2018–present)        2018: Norway Hegerberg 2019: United States Rapinoe 2020: Not awarded 2021: Spain Putellas 2022: Spain Putellas     FIFA Women's World Player of the Year (2001–2015) The Best FIFA Women's Player (2016–present)     vte Kopa Trophy     2018: Mbappé 2019: De Ligt 2020 not awarded 2021: Pedri 2022: Gavi     vte Yashin Trophy     2019: Alisson 2020: Not awarded 2021: Donnarumma 2022: Courtois Categories:     Ballon d'OrAwards disestablished in 2009Awards established in 1956Awards established in 2016Association football player of the year awardsFrance Football awards1956 establishments in Europe2016 establishments in Europe 2022 Ballon d'Or     Article     Talk     Read     Edit     View history Tools From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2022 Ballon d'Or 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema Date    17 October 2022 Location    Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris Presented by    France Football Hosted by    Sandy Heribert Didier Drogba Highlights Ballon d'Or    France Karim Benzema (1st award) Ballon d'Or Féminin    Spain Alexia Putellas (2nd award) Kopa Trophy    Spain Gavi (1st award) Yashin Trophy    Belgium Thibaut Courtois (1st award) Gerd Müller Trophy    Poland Robert Lewandowski (2nd award) Website    www.francefootball.fr ← 2021 ·     Ballon d'Or     · 2023 → The 2022 Ballon d'Or (French: Ballon d'Or) was the 66th annual ceremony of the Ballon d'Or, presented by France Football, recognising the best footballers in the world in the 2021–22 season.[1] For the first time in the history of the award, it was given based on the results of the season instead of the calendar year.[2][3] The nominees for the ceremony were announced on 12 August 2022.[2] Seven-time and reigning winner Lionel Messi was not nominated for the award for the first time since 2005.[4] Ballon d'Or Main article: Ballon d'Or     For players who played for multiple clubs during the season, only the most recent club is listed[5] Rank     Player     Nationality     Position     Club 1     Karim Benzema      France     Forward     Spain Real Madrid 2     Sadio Mané      Senegal     Forward     England Liverpool 3     Kevin De Bruyne      Belgium     Midfielder     England Manchester City 4     Robert Lewandowski      Poland     Forward     Germany Bayern Munich 5     Mohamed Salah      Egypt     Forward     England Liverpool 6     Kylian Mbappé      France     Forward     France Paris Saint-Germain 7     Thibaut Courtois      Belgium     Goalkeeper     Spain Real Madrid 8     Vinícius Júnior      Brazil     Midfielder     Spain Real Madrid 9     Luka Modrić      Croatia     Midfielder     Spain Real Madrid 10     Erling Haaland      Norway     Forward     Germany Borussia Dortmund 11     Son Heung-min      South Korea     Forward     England Tottenham Hotspur 12     Riyad Mahrez      Algeria     Midfielder     England Manchester City 13     Sébastien Haller      Ivory Coast     Forward     Netherlands Ajax 14     Fabinho      Brazil     Midfielder     England Liverpool Rafael Leão      Portugal     Forward     Italy AC Milan 16     Virgil van Dijk      Netherlands     Defender     England Liverpool 17     Casemiro      Brazil     Midfielder     Spain Real Madrid Luis Díaz      Colombia     Midfielder     England Liverpool[a] Dušan Vlahović      Serbia     Forward     Italy Juventus[b] 20     Cristiano Ronaldo      Portugal     Forward     England Manchester United 21     Harry Kane      England     Forward     England Tottenham Hotspur 22     Trent Alexander-Arnold      England     Defender     England Liverpool Phil Foden      England     Midfielder     England Manchester City Bernardo Silva      Portugal     Midfielder     England Manchester City 25     João Cancelo      Portugal     Defender     England Manchester City Joshua Kimmich      Germany     Midfielder     Germany Bayern Munich Mike Maignan      France     Goalkeeper     Italy AC Milan Christopher Nkunku      France     Forward     Germany RB Leipzig Darwin Núñez      Uruguay     Forward     Portugal Benfica Antonio Rüdiger      Germany     Defender     England Chelsea Diaz was signed by Liverpool from Porto midway through the season.     Vlahović was signed by Juventus from Fiorentina midway through the season. Ballon d'Or Féminin Main article: Ballon d'Or Féminin     For players who played for multiple clubs during the season, only the most recent club is listed[5] Rank     Player     Nationality     Position     Club 1     Alexia Putellas      Spain     Midfielder     Spain Barcelona 2     Beth Mead      England     Forward     England Arsenal 3     Sam Kerr      Australia     Forward     England Chelsea 4     Lena Oberdorf      Germany     Midfielder     Germany Wolfsburg 5     Aitana Bonmatí      Spain     Midfielder     Spain Barcelona 6     Alexandra Popp      Germany     Forward     Germany Wolfsburg 7     Ada Hegerberg      Norway     Forward     France Lyon 8     Wendie Renard      France     Defender     France Lyon 9     Catarina Macario      United States     Midfielder     France Lyon 10     Lucy Bronze      England     Defender     England Manchester City 11     Vivianne Miedema      Netherlands     Forward     England Arsenal 12     Christiane Endler      Chile     Goalkeeper     France Lyon 13     Alex Morgan      United States     Forward     United States San Diego Wave[a] 14     Selma Bacha      France     Defender     France Lyon 15     Millie Bright      England     Defender     England Chelsea 16     Asisat Oshoala      Nigeria     Forward     Spain Barcelona 17     Marie-Antoinette Katoto      France     Forward     France Paris Saint-Germain 18     Trinity Rodman      United States     Forward     United States Washington Spirit 19     Fridolina Rolfö      Sweden     Forward     Spain Barcelona 20     Kadidiatou Diani      France     Forward     France Paris Saint-Germain     Morgan was signed by San Diego Wave from Orlando Pride midway through the season. Kopa Trophy Main article: Kopa Trophy The nominees for the award were announced on 12 August 2022.[6] Rank     Player     Club(s) 2021–22     Points 1     Spain Gavi     Spain Barcelona     59 2     France Eduardo Camavinga     France Rennes Spain Real Madrid     51 3     Germany Jamal Musiala     Germany Bayern Munich     47 4     England Jude Bellingham     Germany Borussia Dortmund     31 5     Portugal Nuno Mendes     France Paris Saint-Germain     9 6     Netherlands Ryan Gravenberch     Netherlands Ajax     3 Croatia Joško Gvardiol     Germany RB Leipzig 8     England Bukayo Saka     England Arsenal     3 9     Germany Karim Adeyemi     Austria Red Bull Salzburg Germany Borussia Dortmund     1 10     Germany Florian Wirtz     Germany Bayer Leverkusen     0 Yashin Trophy Main article: Yashin Trophy The nominees for the award were announced on 12 August 2022.[7] Rank     Player     Club(s) 2021–22     Points 1     Belgium Thibaut Courtois     Spain Real Madrid     2     Brazil Alisson     England Liverpool     3     Brazil Ederson     England Manchester City     4     Senegal Édouard Mendy     England Chelsea     5     France Mike Maignan     Italy AC Milan     6     Germany Kevin Trapp     Germany Eintracht Frankfurt     7     Germany Manuel Neuer     Germany Bayern Munich     8     Slovenia Jan Oblak     Spain Atlético Madrid     9     Morocco Yassine Bounou     Spain Sevilla     10     France Hugo Lloris     England Tottenham Hotspur     Socrates Award Rank     Player     Club(s) 2021–22 1     Senegal Sadio Mané     England Liverpool Gerd Müller Trophy Main article: Gerd Müller Trophy The award was previously known as the Striker of the Year. It was renamed as the Gerd Müller Trophy after German striker Gerd Müller died in August 2021.[8] Rank     Player     Club(s) 2021–22     Total goals 1     Poland Robert Lewandowski     Germany Bayern Munich     57 Club of the Year Rank     Club     Total players     Men     Women 1     England Manchester City     6     5     1 2     England Liverpool     6     6     0 3     Spain Real Madrid     5     5     0 References "Le Ballon d'Or 2022 remis le 17 octobre prochain" (in French). L'Équipe. 25 May 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022. "Le Ballon d'Or 2022 remis le 17 october prochain" [The 2022 Ballon d'Or will be awarded on December 17th] (in French). L'Équipe. 25 May 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022. "Alexia Putellas and Karim Benzema are crowned 2022 Ballon d'Or winners". Guardian. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022. Spencer, Jamie (12 August 2022). "Lionel Messi not nominated for Ballon d'Or for first time in 17 years". 90min. Retrieved 15 August 2022. Cudworth, Toby (17 October 2022). "Ballon d'Or 2022: Complete rankings for every award". 90min. Retrieved 9 June 2023. "Ballon d'Or 2022 : la liste complète des nommés pour le Trophée Kopa du meilleur jeune" [Ballon d'Or 2022: the full list of nominees for the Kopa Trophy for best young player] (in French). L'Équipe. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022. "Ballon d'Or 2022 : la liste complète des nommés pour le Trophée Yachine de meilleur gardien" [Ballon d'Or 2022: full list of nominees for the Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper] (in French). L'Équipe. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2022. "Le trophée Gerd Müller 2022 attribué à Robert Lewandowski" [The 2022 Gerd Müller Trophy awarded to Robert Lewandowski]. L'Équipe (in French). 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
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