An Introduction to the Ballon d’Or
Today, one of the largest parts of the sports world is football. Football had the most dynamic growth that anybody could imagine, as over the course of a few years, football became one of the largest and most played sports in the world. Players from all around the world come to participate in the various football tournaments and competitions that are held, with each team trying its very best to win the award or honor associated with that particular tournament.
However, there are awards and honors that have a wider range of consideration than just a single competition, or a series of matches such as the FIFA. These awards are not for the progress a player makes in a particular match, but are instead awarded for the player’s progress and prowess throughout the year. One of the most well known of these awards is the esteemed Ballon d’Or, an award that is administered by France Football.
Being quite an old award, the award began from 1956, making it one of the oldest football awards there are. The Ballon d’Or is one of the most sought after trophies and honors in the world, and is only awarded to the very best of the Football sport, past winners being legends of Football such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Michel Platini and Kaka.
Players to Have Won the Ballon d’Or More Than Once
It is an established fact that only the very best of the Football industry are honored with the prestigious and esteemed Ballon d’Or Award, which is one of the best ways to certify one’s absolute skill and mastery of Football. However, there are certain legends and hallowed names in the entirety of Football that have won the Ballon d’Or more than once, a feat that automatically makes them literally one of the very best of the best.
Prepare to be amazed as below, one will find the list of those players who have won the Ballon d’Or not just more than once, but several times:
#1 Lionel Messi
Ballon d’Ors Won: 5
There is no doubt that this is one of the most famous footballers in the whole world. A Football enthusiast since his birth, many famous clubs made efforts to move hell and heaven to get him to play on their team, even as a child. When he grew up, he went on to become the most famous cricketer to come out of Argentina.
Winning the Ballon d’Ors
The mind blowing fact that this stunning player has won no less than 5 Ballon d’Ors is not exactly a shock to the public, as while most of us have followed his career with avid interest (and can probably recite the dates matches where he distinguished himself), the rest expect no less from this award winning player.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Ballon d’Ors Won: 5
This is another one of the most popular facets of Football culture. Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is of Portuguese origin, and currently plays for the Italian club Juventus, along with the Portugal national team. Often considered the best player in the world by some, this award winning player has the same number of Ballon d’Ors as Messi: 5. Over the course of his career, he has won four European Golden Shoes.
Winning the Ballon d’Ors
He had won his first Ballon d’Or by age of 23, with the rest following not long after, with two making their appearances in 2016 and 2017. His long string of consecutive awards did not surprise his fans, as he had already proved himself to be one of the best players to have come out of Portugal.
#3 Michel Platini
Ballon d’Ors Won: 3
Michel Platini is one of the more famous Football superstars of yesteryear. He is regarded as doubtlessly one of the best footballers of all time, and over the course of his career, managed to win 3 Ballon d’Ors. He was named sixth in the FIFA Player of the Century list. He was a prolific goalscorer, and forged ahead into enemy territory unchallenged.
Winning the Ballon d’Ors
As he was one of the best players of yesteryear, his trophies are no surprise. His particular streak of winning the Ballon d’Ors is forever engraved into Football history, as he won the award three consecutive times, in 1983, ‘84 and ‘85, proving once and for all that he was the best Football player of the eighties.
#4 Johan Cruyff
Ballon d’Ors Won: 3
This is another one of the well known players on this list, as Johan is definitely the best Dutch player of all time, and is one of the significant portions of Football history, as this single player brought the Netherlands back into the Football fold all by himself. He is widely considered one of the best Footballers to have lived, and followed the Total Football philosophy.
Winning the Ballon d’Ors
He was the most famous Dutch player of all time. Hendrik Johannes Cruijff won the Ballon d’Or three times, in 1971, ‘73 and ‘74, and proved himself to be the best. This was only right, as he was a powerhouse on the field, and an unstoppable force.
#5 Marco Van Basten
Ballon d’Ors Won: 3
This is the second world famous Dutch personality to appear on this list. A commanding personality both on and off the field, he was called Marco, and is widely held as the best striker of all time, but was forced to retire in a tragic accident at the young age of 30. This awesome player won a long string of awards, with three Ballon d’Ors among them.
Winning the Ballon d’Ors
Being one of the best strikers in the history of football, and often an example for even experienced and veteran players, van Basten deserves the trophies due to his close ball control and unsurpassed attacking intelligence.
Conclusion
This list about the 5 Most Number of Ballon d’Or Winners not only informs one about the most famous winners of the Ballon d’Or, but can accurately and reliably be called a walk through the Football Hall of Fame, as winning the Ballon d’Or multiple times goes hand in hand with being the very best of the best.
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