3 Countries with the most Ballon d'Or winners

#1 Germany - 5 winners, 7 victories

Franz Beckenbauer (right) is a two-time winner of the Ballon d'Or

One of the most successful national teams in the history of football, Germany is also the country with the joint-most winners (and joint-most victories) in the history of the Ballon d'Or.

Legendary striker Gerd Muller was the first German international to win the award when he finished first in 1970. Franz Beckenbauer, who is widely considered as the greatest defender of all time, won the award twice. He is also the only defender to win the award more than once, and it seems unlikely that his record will be broken.

Karl-Heinz "Kalle" Rummenigge is the other German to win the award twice - he did so in 1980 and 1981, becoming one of the few players to retain his trophy. Lothar Matthaus and Matthias Sammer are the other two Germans to finish first in the race for Ballon d'Or, with the latter being the most recent winner in 1996.