5 interesting facts about the Ballon d'Or award

#2 German dominance

Franz Beckenbauer

The Ballon d’Or has been won by individuals from various countries, but a few nations have dominated the awards - like Germany. Five players from Germany have won the award so far, the highest from a single nation, a feat that is shared with Italy. Germany also has seven Ballon d’Or wins from all its players, tied with Netherlands and Portugal as the most by a single nation to date.

In 1972, Gerd Muller won the Ballon d’Or and created history by becoming the first-ever German player to win the award. Two years later, when Franz Beckenbauer lifted the top prize, a different record was set: for the first time ever, all of the top 3 players belonged to a single country – Germany.

Along with Der Kaiser, his club colleague Muller as well as Borussia Monchengladbach’s Gunter Netzer made up an all-German top 3.

Beckenbauer won his second Ballon d’Or four years later before Karl-Heinz Rummenigge claimed back-to-back awards in 1980 and 1981. Lothar Matthaus, following his stellar display for club and country, won the Ballon d’Or in 1990, before Borussia Dortmund’s Matthias Sammer lifted the top prize in 1996. That was the last time a player from Germany won the prestigious award.