El Balón de Oro es un premio individual otorgado al mejor jugador de fútbol del mundo. Desde 1956 a 2009 solo se consideraban esos jugadores inscritos en campeonatos de futbol profesional europeos, pero desde el 2010 se toma en consideración todo tipos de campeonatos incluyendo la Copa Mundial. Hoy en día este premio tiene un nuevo nombre, Fifa Balón de Oro que es entregado por la revista France Football y la Fifa.
A continuación la lista completa de los finalista y ganadores del Balón de Oro:
Campeones Ballon d’Or 1956 – 2023
| Año | Ganador | 2do | 3ro |
| 2023 | Lionel Messi – Inter Miami | Erling Haaland – Manchester City FC | Kylian Mbappé –Paris Saint-Germain FC |
| 2022 | Karim Benzema – Real Madrid CF | Sadio Mané – Liverpool FC | Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City FC |
| 2021 | Lionel Messi – Paris Saint-Germain FC | Robert Lewandowski – Bayern de Múnich | Jorge Luiz Frello Filho – Chelsea FC |
| 2020 | Cancelado por Covid-19 | ||
| 2019 | Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona | Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool FC | Cristiano Ronaldo – Juventus FC |
| 2018 | Luka Modric – Real Madrid CF | Cristiano Ronaldo – Juventus FC | Antoine Griezmann – Atlético de Madrid |
| 2017 | Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid CF | Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona | Neymar da Silva – Paris Saint-Germain FC |
| 2016 | Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid CF | Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona | Antoine Griezmann – Atlético de Madrid |
| 2015 | Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona | Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid CF | Neymar da Silva – FC Barcelona |
| 2014 | Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid CF | Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona | Manuel Neuer – FC Bayern |
| 2013 | Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid CF | Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona | Franck Ribéry – FC Bayern |
| 2012 | Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona | Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid CF | Andrés Iniesta – FC Barcelona |
| 2011 | Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona | Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid CF | Xavi Hernández – FC Barcelona |
| 2010 | Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona | Andrés Iniesta – FC Barcelona | Xavi Hernández – FC Barcelona |
| 2009 | Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona | Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid CF | Xavi Hernández – FC Barcelona |
| 2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United FC | Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona | Fernando Torres – Liverpool FC |
| 2007 | Kaká – AC Milan | Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United FC | Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona |
| 2006 | Fabio Cannavaro – Real Madrid CF | Gianluigi Buffon – Juventus FC | Thierry Henry – Arsenal FC |
| 2005 | Ronaldinho – FC Barcelona | Frank Lampard – Chelsea FC | Steven Gerrard – Liverpool FC |
| 2004 | Andriy Shevchenko – AC Milan | Deco – FC Barcelona | Ronaldinho – FC Barcelona |
| 2003 | Pavel Nedvěd – Juventus FC | Thierry Henry – Arsenal FC | Paolo Maldini – AC Milan |
| 2002 | Ronaldo Nazário – Real Madrid CF | Roberto Carlos – Real Madrid CF | Oliver Kahn – FC Bayern |
| 2001 | Michael Owen – Liverpool FC | Raúl – Real Madrid CF | Oliver Kahn – FC Bayern |
| 2000 | Luís Figo – Real Madrid CF | Zinedine Zidane – Juventus FC | Andriy Shevchenko – AC Milan |
| 1999 | Rivaldo – FC Barcelona | David Beckham – Manchester United FC | Andriy Shevchenko – AC Milan |
| 1998 | Zinedine Zidane – Juventus FC | Davor Šuker – Real Madrid CF | Ronaldo Nazário – FC Internazionale |
| 1997 | Ronaldo Nazário – FC Internazionale | Predrag Mijatovic – Real Madrid CF | Zinedine Zidane – Juventus FC |
| 1996 | Matthias Sammer – BV Borussia | Ronaldo Nazário – FC Barcelona | Alan Shearer – Newcastle United FC |
| 1995 | George Weah – AC Milan | Jürgen Klinsmann – FC Bayern | Jari Litmanen – AFC Ajax |
| 1994 | Hristo Stoichkov – FC Barcelona | Roberto Baggio – Juventus FC | Paolo Maldini – AC Milan |
| 1993 | Roberto Baggio – Juventus FC | Dennis Bergkamp – FC Internazionale | Éric Cantona – Manchester United FC |
| 1992 | Marco van Basten – AC Milan | Hristo Stoichkov – FC Barcelona | Dennis Bergkamp – AFC Ajax |
| 1991 | Jean-Pierre Papin – Olympique de Marsella | Dejan Savicevic – Estrella Roja | Darko Pancev – Estrella Roja |
| 1990 | Lothar Matthäus – FC Internazionale | Salvatore Schillaci – Juventus FC | Andreas Brehme – FC Internazionale |
| 1989 | Marco van Basten – AC Milan | Franco Baresi – AC Milan | Frank Rijkaard – AC Milan |
| 1988 | Marco van Basten – AC Milan | Ruud Gullit – AC Milan | Frank Rijkaard – AC Milan |
| 1987 | Ruud Gullit – AC Milan | Paulo Futre – Atlético de Madrid | Emilio Butragueño – Real Madrid CF |
| 1986 | Igor Belánov – FK Dinamo Kiev | Gary Lineker – FC Barcelona | Emilio Butragueño – Real Madrid CF |
| 1985 | Michel Platini – Juventus FC | Preben Elkjær – AC Hellas Verona | Bernd Schuster – FC Barcelona |
| 1984 | Michel Platini – Juventus FC | Jean Tigana – FC Girondins de Burdeos | Preben Elkjær – AC Hellas Verona |
| 1983 | Michel Platini – Juventus FC | Kenny Dalglish – Liverpool FC | Allan Simonsen – Vejle BK |
| 1982 | Paolo Rossi – Juventus FC | Alain Giresse – FC Girondins de Burdeos | Zbigniew Boniek – Juventus FC |
| 1981 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – FC Bayern | Paul Breitner – FC Bayern | Bernd Schuster – FC Barcelona |
| 1980 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – FC Bayern | Bernd Schuster – FC Barcelona | Michel Platini – AS Saint-Étienne |
| 1979 | Kevin Keegan – Hamburgo SV | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – FC Bayern | Ruud Krol – AFC Ajax |
| 1978 | Kevin Keegan – Hamburgo SV | Hans Krankl – FC Barcelona | Rob Rensenbrink – RSC Anderlecht |
| 1977 | Allan Simonsen – Borussia Mönchengladbach | Kevin Keegan – Hamburgo SV | Michel Platini – AS Nancy-Lorraine |
| 1976 | Franz Beckenbauer – FC Bayern | Rob Rensenbrink – RSC Anderlecht | Ivo Viktor – FK Dukla Praga |
| 1975 | Oleg Blojín – FK Dinamo Kiev | Franz Beckenbauer – FC Bayern | Johan Cruyff – FC Barcelona |
| 1974 | Johan Cruyff – FC Barcelona | Franz Beckenbauer – FC Bayern | Franz Beckenbauer – FC Bayern |
| 1973 | Johan Cruyff – FC Barcelona | Dino Zoff – Juventus FC | Gerd Müller – FC Bayern |
| 1972 | Franz Beckenbauer – FC Bayern | Gerd Müller – FC Bayern | Günter Netzer – Borussia Mönchengladbach |
| 1971 | Johan Cruyff – AFC Ajax | Sandro Mazzola – FC Internazionale | George Best – Manchester United FC |
| 1970 | Gerd Müller – FC Bayern | Bobby Moore – West Ham United FC | Bobby Moore – West Ham United FC |
| 1969 | Gianni Rivera – AC Milan | Luigi Riva – Cagliari Calcio | Gerd Müller – FC Bayern |
| 1968 | George Best – Manchester United FC | Bobby Charlton – Manchester United FC | Dragan Džajic – Estrella Roja |
| 1967 | Flórián Albert – Ferencváros TC | Bobby Charlton – Manchester United FC | Jimmy Johnstone – Celtic FC |
| 1966 | Bobby Charlton – Manchester United FC | Eusébio – SL Benfica | Franz Beckenbauer – FC Bayern |
| 1965 | Eusébio – SL Benfica | Giacinto Facchetti – FC Internazionale | Luis Suárez – FC Internazionale |
| 1964 | Denis Law – Manchester United FC | Luis Suárez – FC Internazionale | Amancio – Real Madrid CF |
| 1963 | Lev Yashin – FK Dinamo Moscú | Gianni Rivera- AC Milan | Jimmy Greaves – Tottenham Hotspur FC |
| 1962 | Josef Masopust – FK Dukla Praga | Eusébio – SL Benfica | Karl-Heinz Schnellinger – FC Koln |
| 1961 | Omar Sívori – Juventus FC | Luis Suárez – FC Internazionale | Johnny Haynes – Fulham FC |
| 1960 | Luis Suárez – CF Barcelona | Ferenc Puskás – Real Madrid CF | Uwe Seeler – Hamburgo SV |
| 1959 | Alfredo di Stéfano – Real Madrid CF | Raymond Kopa – Stade de Reims | John Charles – Juventus FC |
| 1958 | Raymond Kopa – Real Madrid CF | Helmut Rahn – Rot-Weiss Essen | Just Fontaine – Stade de Reims |
| 1957 | Alfredo di Stéfano – Real Madrid CF | Billy Wright – Wolverhampton FC | Raymond Kopa – Real Madrid CF |
| 1956 | Stanley Matthews – Blackpool FC | Alfredo di Stéfano – Real Madrid CF | Raymond Kopa – Real Madrid CF |