The organisers of the Ballon d’Or have confirmed that footballers do not need to win a team trophy to claim the prestigious individual award, although the achievement has occurred only six times in the history of the prize.
Ahead of the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony, scheduled for October 26 in London, the organisers revisited the history of the award as discussions continue over whether team success should be a deciding factor in selecting the winner.
According to the organisers, the first player to win the Ballon d’Or without lifting any team silverware was Stanley Matthews in 1956, when he claimed the inaugural edition of the award.
Since then, only Denis Law (1964), Gerd Müller (1970), Kevin Keegan (1978), Luis Figo (2000), and Cristiano Ronaldo (2013) have achieved the same feat.
The organisers noted that Cristiano Ronaldo remains the most recent player to win the Ballon d’Or without winning a team trophy, with 11 editions having passed since then.
They also pointed out that no female footballer has won the Women’s Ballon d’Or without securing a team title since the award was introduced in 2018.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony will crown the 70th men’s Ballon d’Or winner and the eighth Women’s Ballon d’Or recipient in London.
Source: Ballon d’Or.
