5 Oldest players to win the Ballon d'Or

Since the inception of the Ballon d'Or in 1956, the prized award has been handed out annually to the best performer of the calendar year in the world of football, and players from several nationalities have picked up the prize.

A handful of players, past and present, have said that winning the Ballon d'Or is arguably the greatest achievement one can accomplish as a footballer and we continue to see stunning individual performances year after year, as footballers continue to defy the odds with their consistent brilliance.

While Lionel Messi has won the award more times than any other player in history, as he did so for the record-breaking 6th time in 2019, Ronaldo Nazario is the youngest recipient of the award, having won it in 1997 for his otherworldly season with Barcelona at the time.

In this article, we roll back the years and look at 5 of the oldest winners of the Ballon d'Or and behold - there is a record in here that looks extremely unlikely to be broken in the game's history.

#5 Fabio Cannavaro (2006, 33 years, 2 months, 14 days)

Fabio Cannavaro was awarded the Ballon d'Or in 2006 for his outstanding performance in the 2006 World Cup, as he marshalled the Italian rearguard expertly on their way to winning the competition as captain.

The legendary defender is the last defender to win the award till date and retired as Italy most capped player in history, surpassing the iconic Paolo Maldini.

Known for his impeccable positional sense, never say die attitude and physicality, Cannavaro is one of the greatest defenders to have graced the game and won the Ballon d'Or aged 33, a prime example of how good he was despite being on the wrong side of 30.

The Italian was an example to any up and coming defender and retired in 2011 after a brief stint with Al-Ahli. He is currently the manager of Guangzhou Evergrande in the Chinese Super League.

#4 Luka Modric (2018; 33 years, 2 months, 24 days)

Real Madrid CF v Rayo Vallecano de Madrid - La Liga

By winning the Ballon d'Or in 2018, Luka Modric not only became the 4th oldest recipient of the award but also broke Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's dominance of the award.

Since Kaka won the award in 2008, the pair had exchanged Ballon d'Or's between them for a decade, after which the little Croatian came by and won it by virtue of his standout performances for club and country.

Modric played a pivotal role in Real Madrid's 3rd successive Champions League victory and topped it off by winning the Golden Ball in the 2019 edition of the FIFA World Cup, where Croatia lost out to France in the final.

Hailed as one of the best midfielders of his generation, the little magician has won everything there is to win in Spain was magical to watch on his day, as he controlled the midfield alongside Casemiro and Toni Kroos to devastating effect for Real.

Modric is in the fag end of his career and is expected to part ways with Real Madrid at the end of the season, with MLS clubs reportedly interested in signing him.

#3 Alfredo di Stefano (1959; 33 years, 5 months and 11 days)

Alfredo di Stefano is one of Real Madrid's greatest ever players and the Argentinian won the award two times in his wonderful career, the second of which came in 1959 when he was almost 34.

Currently the sixth-highest goalscorer in Spanish top-flight history, the striker is also the joint all-time top scorer in El Clasico's for Real Madrid, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

By picking up the award in 1959, he became the first player in history to win the Ballon d'Or twice and is sure to be remembered as one of the greatest goalscorers to play the game, he toyed with opposition defenders for fun on his day and set the benchmark for players in his position.

Alongside Ferenc Puskas, who has also gone down in the history books as one of the greats of the game, Di Stefano formed a lethal partnership and defined a new era for the Spanish club and laid the foundation for what the club is currently.

He died aged 88 in 2014 and tributes flew in from all corners of the footballing world, as they paid homage to one of the pioneers of the sport.

#2 Lev Yashin (1963; 34 years, 1 month and 25 days)

When Lev Yashin won the award in 1963, he became the 2nd oldest player in history to do so and till date, is the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d'Or. Regarded as the greatest shot-stopper in history, Yashin was unbeatable on his day and won his side games single-handedly, as he spent the entirety of his playing career with Dinamo Moscow in his home country.

According to the records, Yashin saved a stunning 150 penalties in his career, which is miles ahead of any goalkeeper to have ever played the game and was nicknamed 'The Spider', as he dressed in all black every time he took to the pitch.

Yashin was much more than a goalkeeper, as he shouted orders to his teammates regularly and was an imposing presence to the opposition players. Yashin died in 1990 but left a lasting legacy behind, as he redefined the position and made history by winning the Ballon d'Or as a goalkeeper.

Aside from the Ballon d'Or, France Football have announced that the Lev Yashin Award will be handed out to the best goalkeeper of the year, with Liverpool's Alisson Becker becoming the first recipient of the award in 2019.

#1 Sir Stanley Matthews (1956; 41 years, 10 months and 17 days)

There is a saying that all records are meant to be broken, but in terms of what Sir Stanley Matthews achieved, that is not likely to be the case. The Englishman, who won the inaugural edition of the Ballon d'Or, did so at the age of 41 and was incidentally just 2 months short of his 42nd birthday!

An electric right-winger with impeccable ball control, Matthews was virtually unstoppable on his day and was described by Franz Beckenbauer as unplayable. The Englishman also became the first player in history to be knighted whilst still playing, a record that still stands till date.

He is regarded as the greatest English player to have graced the sport and had a 33-year career in the top flight, a record that is unlikely to ever be broken. Matthews died in February 2000 aged 85 and is remembered till date as a pioneer of the sport, as he broke barriers and proved that age is just a number.

Edited by Zaid Khan