England Player Honours -
France Football Ballon d'Or -
European Footballers of the Year

 

Player Honours Index

Team Honours

Coach/Manager Honours

Players Index

 

Notes

The European Player of the Year award, established in 1956 by France Football, the French football magazine, and known as the "Ballon d'Or" (Golden Ball), goes to the player deemed to have turned in the year's best overall performance in European football.  At first only European nationals playing in Europe qualified for the award, but since 1995 all footballers playing in Europe have been eligible, regardless of their birthplace.

The winner is chosen by vote of European football journalists, one from each of UEFA's member nations, which totalled 51 in 2001 and 2002 and 52 in 2003.  Voters select their top five players in order of preference, and points are assigned to each vote, 5 for a 1st place vote, 4 for a 2nd place vote and so on down to 1 point for a 5th place vote.   The voting points are listed after player names in the table above.  

As of 2008, the Ballon d'Or has been awarded 53 times.  It went to an English player on five occasions.  It has been won by German and Dutch players most often, seven times each.  French players won it six times, Italian and Brazilian players five times, Soviet, Portuguese and Spanish players three times each and Czech players twice.  The award has been won once each by Bulgarian, Danish, Hungarian, Liberian, Northern Irish, Scottish and Ukrainian players.

The nations with the most players placing in a medal position (1st, 2nd or 3rd) are Germany (including West Germany) 27, France 19, England and Italy 17, Netherlands 16 and Spain 12.   Brazilian players, eligible for the award only since 1995, already have gained eight medal positions.

Prior to 2007, the player had to be a member of a club based within UEFA's jurisdiction in order to qualify for selection; and until 1995 a player also had to be of European nationality to be eligible. The 2007 change in rules saw players from Qatar, the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina named on the shortlist alongside those from European clubs.

Since October 2007, 96 football journalists from around the world have decided the winner from a shortlist of 50 compiled by France Football; prior to this 52 European journalists chose a winner, who needed to play for a European club.  Each voter chooses five players from the list of nominees, and awards them between one and five points. The winner is determined by the total number of points; players who finish second and third in the voting are awarded silver and bronze medals.

England Players in the Ballon d'Or Top Five
Player	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	Total
Kevin Keegan	2	1	0	1	0	4
Bobby Charlton	1	2	0	0	1	4
Michael Owen	1	0	0	1	0	2
Stanley Matthews	1	0	0	0	0	1
Bobby Moore	0	1	0	1	0	2
David Beckham	0	1	0	1	0	2
Frank Lampard	0	1	0	0	0	1
Gary Lineker	0	1	0	0	1	2
Billy Wright	0	1	0	0	0	1
Steven Gerrard	0	0	1	0	0	1
Jimmy Greaves	0	0	1	0	0	1
Johnny Haynes	0	0	1	0	0	1
Alan Shearer	0	0	1	0	0	1
Duncan Edwards	0	0	0	1	0	1
Paul Gascoigne	0	0	0	1	0	1
Peter Shilton	0	0	0	0	1	1
Total	5	8	4	6	3	26

Notes

Four England players have won the award, one of them, Kevin Keegan, taking it twice.   England players have finished in the top five 24 times--1st five times, 2nd seven times, 3rd three times, 4th six times and 5th three times. 

Stanley Matthews, at age 41, won the award in 1956, the first year it was presented, and is the oldest player to have won  it.  Sentiment may have played a part as it was thought, incorrectly, that he was approaching the end of his career, but it was not the sole reason for giving it to him.  He was still terrorizing defences, including Brazil's, in 1956.

Keegan is one of only eight players who have won the Ballon d'Or more than once and one of only five who have won it in consecutive years.

Keegan and Bobby Charlton both placed in the top three on three occasions; they are among only 15 players who have placed in the top three at least three times.  Their three top three appearances were consecutive, and they are among only eight players who have made three consecutive top three appearances.  

Top five places have gone to 14 England players, seven of whom have placed in the top five on more than one occasion.  Kevin Keegan and Bobby Charlton have placed in the top five most often among England players, each four times; they are among only 13 players who have equalled or bettered that.  Moreover, their four top five appearances were consecutive, and they are among only seven players who have made four or more consecutive top five appearances.

Charlton placed in the top 10 six times; he is among only 11 players who have appeared in the top 10 six or more times.  Keegan, Bobby Moore and Bryan Robson each placed in the top 10 four times; they are among only 26 players who have appeared in the top 10 four or more times.  Charlton and Moore made four consecutive top 10 appearances; they are among eight players who have placed in the top 10 in four or more consecutive years.  

England have had two players among the top five in the voting on three occasions:  1957 (Billy Wright and Duncan Edwards, who was killed the next year at age 21 in the Munich air crash), 1966 (Bobby Charlton and Bobby Moore) and 2001 (Michael Owen and David Beckham).

Sources

Voting points are taken from the detailed history of the award in the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistical Foundation [RSSSF] Archive.

Further Information

A detailed analysis of the Ballon d'Or award, including statistical breakdowns by club, league and nationality compiled by Rob Moore and Karel Stokkermans, is posted in the RSSSF Archive.   

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