Players with the most Ballon d’Or voting points since 2000

The voting process for the Ballon d’Or has changed a lot over the years.

Upon its inception in 1956, the recipient of world football’s most esteemed individual award was originally voted for by only 16 journalists, who simply took players’ performances over the previous calendar year into account.

Now, 100 journalists, each of whom represents one of FIFA’s 100 top-ranked footballing nations, vote for the winner. According to UEFA, they vote based on the following from the previous season:

• Individual performances, decisive and impressive character
• Team performances and achievements
• Class and fair play

Each journalist votes for 10 players in total, ranking them from highest to lowest, with players then receiving 15, 12, 10, 8, 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 point respectively. The winner of the Ballon d’Or is the player who receives the most points.

It can get a little complicated, especially if you want to work out which players in history have won the most Ballon d’Or points.

Fear not, however, because we’ve used the lists of each year’s Ballon d’Or placings to crunch the numbers. Here, we’ve listed the 15 players with the most Ballon d’Or voting points, some of whom may surprise you.

15

Wesley Sneijder

599 points

One of the finest Dutch midfielders of all time, Wesley Sneijder enjoyed a stellar career during which he enjoyed successful spells with Ajax, Real Madrid, Inter and Galatasaray.

He’s perhaps best remembered for his time at Inter, where he spent four seasons and won the Champions League in 2010 under the guidance of Jose Mourinho.

Sneijder’s highest Ballon d’Or finish came in that treble-winning year when he finished fourth behind Barcelona trio Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Lionel Messi.

14

Mohamed Salah

616 points

Mohamed Salah has been one of world football’s most outstanding players since joining Liverpool from AS Roma in 2017. In 361 games for the Reds, he’s scored 218 goals, helping the club win the Champions League, the FA Cup, EFL Cup, and a first-ever Premier League title.

Salah’s highest finish in the Ballon d’Or award is 5th, which he achieved in both 2019 and 2022.

13

Antoine Griezmann

642 points

One of this generation’s most criminally underrated stars, Antoine Griezmann has spent his entire domestic career in Spain, scoring 272 goals in just over 15 seasons for Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.

For his country, he boasts an equally impressive record, with the Frenchman having notched 44 goals in 137 games for Les Bleus.

Griezmann has finished third in the Ballon d’Or on two separate occasions, first in 2016 and then in 2018.

12

Virgil van Dijk

680 points

Only three defenders in history – Franz Beckenbauer, Matthias Sammer and Fabio Cannavaro – have ever won the Ballon d’Or, but Virgil van Dijk came close to becoming the fourth in 2019 when he finished a close second behind Messi.

That year, the Dutchman lost out to the Argentine by only seven points, which is the smallest winning margin since the turn of the century. All bar one of his Ballon d’Or points came in this year.

Since moving to Liverpool in 2018, Van Dijk has established himself as one of the world’s finest central defenders, helping the Reds win the Champions League and a clean sweep of domestic honours.

11

Manuel Neuer

870 points

Bayern Munich and Germany legend Manuel Neuer is widely regarded as the best “sweeper-keeper” of all time thanks to his daring yet successful style of play, which often sees him run out of his box to clear up opposition attacks.

Now 38, he’s won no less than 29 major honours during his career, including 11 Bundesliga titles, two Champions Leagues, and the World Cup. Neuer placed third in the Ballon d’Or in 2014, but becoming world champion was not enough to see him crowned champion.

10

Luka Modric

877 points

Luka Modric is the lowest-placed Ballon d’Or winner in the top 15.

The Croatian midfielder scooped the award in 2018 following a stellar year with Real Madrid and Croatia, which saw Los Blancos win the Champions League for the third consecutive season and Croatia finish runners-up at the World Cup.

Now 39, he’s still going strong for club and country.

9

Karim Benzema

882 points

Another past Ballon d’Or winner, Karim Benzema won the award in 2022 with a score of 549 points – 356 points ahead of second-placed Sadio Mane.

Benzema’s win came after he scored 44 goals for Real Madrid during the 2021/22 season, helping the club win La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup, and the Champions League.

He was due to be part of the France squad that finished as runners-up at the 2022 World Cup, though he did not play in the tournament due to injury.

8

Kylian Mbappe

897 points

Aged just 25, Kylian Mbappe has already enjoyed an astonishing career.

In 467 games for club and country, he’s scored 344 goals and has won 19 major honours, including six Ligue 1 titles with Paris Saint-Germain and the 2018 World Cup with France.

Mbappe finished third in the Ballon d’Or last year, and having completed a high-profile move to Real Madrid in the summer, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before he adds the golden ball to his collection.

7

Robert Lewandowski

1,084 points

Despite his huge points total, Robert Lewandowski has never won the Ballon d’Or, having been, in the eyes of many, robbed of the prize on two occasions.

In 2020, after a stunning season in which he scored no less than 55 goals in all competitions for Champions League winners Bayern Munich, the award was cancelled due to the pandemic.

The Pole put up equally impressive numbers the following year, scoring 48 goals, but was controversially snubbed in favour of Messi, who had endured a hit-and-miss first season with PSG following his departure from Barcelona.

6

Neymar

1,148 points

Neymar has twice finished third in the Ballon d’Or, first in 2015 and 2017. Despite never winning it, the Brazilian is still widely regarded as one of the most talented players of his generation.

In spells with Santos, Barcelona, PSG and Al-Hilal, Neymar has 360 goals in 590 games, winning a host of honours, including the Champions League in 2015.

He’s also Brazil’s all-time top scorer, having notched 79 goals in 128 games for his country.

5

Franck Ribery

1,154 points

Franck Ribery retired from professional football in 2022 following an impressive career in France, Turkey, Germany, and Italy.

He’s best remembered for his spell in Germany with Bayern Munich, where he spent 12 seasons, scoring 124 goals and winning nine Bundesliga titles and the Champions League.

The Frenchman came close to winning the Ballon d’Or in 2013 following that European triumph, but finished third behind Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

4

Xavi

1,513 points

One of the most revered and influential midfield players of all time, Xavi has never won the Ballon d’Or. He ranked 3rd for three consecutive years between 2009 and 2011.

The Spaniard spent most of his career with Barcelona, where he won eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues. He also won the World Cup and two European Championships with Spain.

Xavi retired in 2019 after a four-spell in Qatar with Al Sadd. He moved into management shortly after, but has been without a job since being let go by Barcelona.

3

Andres Iniesta

1,760 points

Xavi’s partner in crime for most of his career, Andres Iniesta only recently hung up his boots after an astonishing career for club and country.

A graduate of Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy, he spent 16 seasons at Camp Nou, winning nine La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues before moving to Japanese side Vissel Kobe in 2018. He also won three major honours with Spain alongside Xavi.

In 2010, Iniesta placed 2nd in the Ballon d’Or behind Messi, before coming third in 2012.

2

Cristiano Ronaldo

10,374 points

Given that he’s won the award five times, it will come as a surprise to nobody that Cristiano Ronaldo has the second-most points in Ballon d’Or history.

The Portuguese star claimed his first Ballon d’Or as a Manchester United player in 2008 before winning it a further four times at Real Madrid in 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017.

He’s also finished second six times, mostly behind Messi, and third once.

1

Lionel Messi

12,620 points

Again, no surprise here.

No player in football history has won the Ballon d’Or as many times as Lionel Messi, who has been voted as the world’s best player eight times, first in 2009 and most recently in 2023.

His most recent win saw him break a number of records, including becoming the first player to win the Ballon d’Or in three different decades; becoming the first player to win the Ballon d’Or with three clubs; and becoming the first player to win the prize while playing outside of Europe.

Messi has also finished second on five occasions, and third once.

Now plying his trade in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami, it’s unlikely Messi will ever win the Ballon d’Or again, but it’s fair to say that his wins record will be safe for a long time.