10 Footballers with most individual awards in world football

#4 Marco van Basten (Netherlands) - 5 awards

Marco van Basten celebrates after scoring a goal for his country

At fourth, we have Marco van Basten. A prolific striker, known for his close ball control, attacking intelligence, and spectacular strikes and volleys, he still ranks among the top scorers in football with his 301 goals in 431 appearances. However, an ankle injury forced him into early retirement at the age of 28.

Despite this, he is still considered to be one of the best players of his time. With Ajax, he won three Eredivisie titles in 1981-82, 1982-83 and 1984-85. By scoring 37 goals in the 1985-86 Eredivisie, he won his first and only European Golden Boot.

However, he made his name in Arrigo Sacchi's great Milan side of the late 80s and early 90s. He won all of his 3 Ballon d'Ors with the Italian giants. In addition to this, the 1992 FIFA World Player of the Year would go on to win the Serie A three times (1987-88, 1991-92 and 1992-93) and back-to-back European Cups in 1988-89 and 1989-1990.

With the Netherlands, van Basten won the UEFA Euro 1988.

Award Details

Ballon d'Or (3): 1988, 1989, 1992

FIFA World Player of the Year: 1992

European Golden Boot: 1985-86