| Year | Name | Country | Club |
| 2018 | Luka Modrić | Croatia | Barcelona |
2017 |
Cristiano Ronaldo |
Portugal |
Real Madrid |
2016 |
Cristiano Ronaldo |
Portugal |
Real Madrid |
2015 |
Lionel Messi |
Argentina |
Barcelona |
2014 |
Cristiano Ronaldo |
Portugal |
Real Madrid |
2013 |
Cristiano Ronaldo |
Portugal |
Real Madrid |
2012 |
Lionel Messi |
Argentina |
Barcelona |
2011 |
Lionel Messi |
Argentina |
Barcelona |
2010 |
Lionel Messi |
Argentina |
Barcelona |
2009 |
Lionel Messi |
Argentina |
Barcelona |
2008 |
Cristiano Ronaldo |
Portugal |
Manchester United |
2007 |
Kaká |
Brazil |
AC Milan |
2006 |
Fabio Cannavaro
|
Italy |
Real Madrid |
2005 |
Ronaldinho |
Brazil |
Barcelona |
2004 |
Andre Sjevtsjenko |
Ukraine |
AC Milan |
2003 |
Pavel Nedved |
Czech Republic |
Juventus |
2002 |
Brazil |
Real Madrid |
|
2001 |
Michael Owen |
England |
Liverpool |
2000 |
Luis Figo |
Portugal |
Real Madrid |
1999 |
Brazil |
Barcelona |
|
1998 |
France |
Juventus |
|
1997 |
Brazil |
Inter Milan |
|
1996 |
Germany |
Borussia Dortmund |
|
1995 |
Liberia |
AC Milan |
|
1994 |
Bulgaria |
Barcelona |
|
1993 |
Italy |
Juventus |
|
1992 |
Holland |
AC Milan |
|
1991 |
France |
Olympique Marseille |
|
1990 |
West Germany |
Inter Milan |
|
1989 |
Holland |
AC Milan |
|
1988 |
Holland |
AC Milan |
|
1987 |
Holland |
AC Milan |
|
1986 |
Soviet Union |
Dynamo Kiev |
|
1985 |
France |
Juventus |
|
1984 |
France |
Juventus |
|
| 1983 | Michel Platini | France | Juventus |
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi | Italy | Juventus |
| 1981 | Karl-H Rummenigge | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1980 | Karl-H Rummenigge | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1979 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburger SV |
| 1978 | Kevin Keegan | England | Hamburger SV |
| 1977 | Allan Simonsen | Denmark | Bor.Mönchengladbach |
| 1976 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1975 | Oleg Blockin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Kiev |
| 1974 | Johan Cruyff | Holland | FC Barcelona |
| 1973 | Johan Cruyff | Holland | Ajax |
| 1972 | Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | Bayern München |
| 1971 | Johan Cruyff | Holland | Ajax |
| 1970 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | Bayern Munich |
| 1969 | Gianni Rivera | Italy | AC Milan |
| 1968 | George Best | Northern Ireland | Manchester United |
| 1967 | Florian Albert | Hungary | Ferencváros |
| 1966 | Bobby Charlton | England | Manchester United |
| 1965 | Eusebio | Portugal | Benfica |
| 1964 | Denis Law | Scotland | Manchester United |
| 1963 | Lev Yashin | Soviet Union | Dinamo Moscow |
| 1962 | Josef Masopust | Czechoslovakia | Dukla Prague |
| 1961 | Omar Sivori | Italy | Juventus |
| 1960 | Luis Suárez | Spain | Barcelona |
| 1959 | Alfredo di Stefano | Spain | Real Madrid |
| 1958 | Raymond Kopa | France | Real Madrid |
| 1957 | Alfredo di Stefano | Spain | Real Madrid |
| 1956 | Stanley Matthews | England | Blackpool |
European Footballer of the Year?
French magazine France Football have been awarding their coveted Ballon d'Or (Golden Ball) ever since 1956. A balot held under football journalists is used to decide the winning player. Originally the trophy was available only to European players, with the winner of the Ballon d'Or widely recognised as being the European Footballer of the Year. Non-European players that did feature in the results, even winning the trophy on a number of occasions, only did so because they had come to be in possession of a passport from a UEFA member country.
From 1995 onward those non-European footballers that played in a league of one of the UEFA member countries were also eligible, and since 2007 all restrictions have been dropped. As a consequence, the Ballon d'Or can no longer be seen as an election of a European Footballer of the Year.
That last statement is underlined by the fact that the football journalists eligible to vote are now also located all over the World. To prevent journalist voting for obscure local heroes, votes can now only be cast for players on a list of nominees compiled by France Football.