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The Ballon dOr was an award which was started in 1956 by France Footballs chief magazine editor Gabriel Hanot. Originally, journalists could only vote for European players playing in Europe, meaning players like Diego Maradona and Pele were ineligible for the award as they were non-European.In 1995, a change in rule meant that non-European players playing in Europe were also eligible for the award. The first winner after the rulechange was George Weah of USA in the same year. In 2007, the rule changed again and any player in the world was eligible for the award and the number of voting journalists also increased.The Ballon dOr and the FIFA Player of the year were merged in 2010 and became the FIFA Ballon dOr. It is awarded based on votes by coaches and captains of international teams as well journalists from around the world.As we draw close to the 2015 FIFA Ballon dOr(BDO) awards gala, scroll down to find out the clubs with the highest number of instances where their players have won the highly coveted BDO.
#5 Inter Milan, Hamburg, Dynamo Kyiv- 2
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Italian Powerhouses Inter Milan, German side Hamburg and Ukranian club Dynamo Kyiv occupy the fifth spot on the countdown as each of them have had its players win the BDO twice in their history.
Inter Milan’s German striker Lothar Herbert Matthäus was the first player in the Nerazzurri as he won the award in 1990. The holder of the record for the most number of World Cup matches played(25) was recognised with the coveted award as he captained West Germany to the 1990 FIFA World Cup title along with impressive performances for the San Siro outfit.
Former Brazilian superstar Ronaldo is the other player to have won the BDO with Inter. Scoring 49 goals in 68 appearances for the club in his five-year stint, he was named the winner in 1997 for his impressive exploits for club and country.
Legendary English and Liverpool striker Kevin Keegan won consecutive BDOs in 1978 and 1979 with Bundesliga side Hamburg. He led Hamburg to the league title in the 1978-79 season in a fruitful three-year spell with the German side.
Oleh Blokhin, the most decorated Ukranian and Soviet footballer ever, was the first BDO recipient playing for Dynamo Kyiv with the striker winning it in 1975. Attacking midfielder Igor Ivanovich Belanov is the other former Dynamo Kyiv to have got the coveted recognition having won it in 1986.
#4 Manchester United- 4
English giants Manchester United slot in at fourth place on the list. The 20-time league champions who boast of producing some of the best players to have played in Europe have had four of its players win the prestigious Ballon d’Or.
Scottish centre-forward Dennis Law became the first United player to win the award in 1964, He is currently the only player from Scotland to have won the award. Sir Bobby Charlton, considered one of the best midfielders of all time was the next United player to win the award as he won it in 1966. He still holds the record for being United’s highest ever goalscorer with 249 goals.
Described by the Irish Football Association as the "greatest player to ever pull on the green shirt of Northern Ireland”, George Best was one of the best strikers to have played the game. Scoring 179 goals in 470 appearances for United, he won the coveted BDO in 1968 for his performances in the 1968 European Cup triumph with the Red Devils.
Cristiano Ronaldo ended United’s agonising 40-year long search for the BDO when he won it in 2008 ahead of Lionel Messi and Fernando Torres. He had a phenomenal year where he scored 42 goals in a mere 49 appearances in all competitions along with winning the Champions League with the club.
#3 Bayern Munich- 5
Bundesliga powerhouses Bayern Munich are third in this list with players having been recognised as best in the world on five occasions so far. Bayern who hold the record for winning the Bundesliga(25 times) and the DFB-Pokal(17 times) for the most number of times have had some of the best footballers to have graced the game over the years.
The iconic Gerd Muller was the first Bayern player to be honoured with the BDO. The striker won it in 1970 for a successful domestic season and his Golden Boot(10 goals) winning performance for West Germany in the 1970 World Cup
Legendary Bayern defender and the pioneer of the Libero(Sweeper) Franz Beckenbauer won the award twice in 1972 and 1976 as he led Bayern clinch the European Cup on three consecutive occasions between 1974 to 1976.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, former forward of the Munich side also won the honour twice but on successive occasions in 1980 and 1981. The current Bayern Munich chairman won the 1980 Euros with West Germany along with finishing as runners-up in the 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cup.
#2 Real Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan- 8
The richest footballing club in the world, Real Madrid slot in at second place along with Italian giants AC Milan and Juventus with players having won the Ballon d’Or on eight occasions each.
Los Blancos had its players win the award on three consecutive occasions with the legendary Alfredo di Stefano in 1957 and 1959 and Frenchman Raymond Kopa in 1958. They had to endure an agonising period of 41 years for another of their player to win the award as Portugal legend Luis Figo was named for the award in 2000.
Former Brazil star striker Ronaldo was the next all whites player to claim the honour as he won it in 2002 ahead of former Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro in 2006.
Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo has been the latest footballer to win the Ballon d’Or playing for Madrid as he bagged the award back to back in 2013 and 2014. He is also nominated for the 2015 honour which is set to be announced in the FIFA gala on the 11th of January.
Italian Omar Sivori was the first recipient of the Ballon d’Or for Juventus in 1961. Striker Paulo Rossi next won the same in 1982 before French legend Michel Platini won the honour for three years in a row between 1983 and 1985. The 1993 gala saw Roberto Baggio lift the coveted trophy and in 1998, French maestro and current Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane was bestowed with the honour.
The last player to have been named as the winner of the award playing for Juventus was the talismanic Czech Republic star Pavel Nedved in 2003.
AC Milan had to wait until 1969 for a player from the club to win the BDO in the form of Gianni Rivera. Dutchman Ruud Gullit was the next Milan player to win it as he was named the best footballer in 1987. It was then the turn of another legendary Dutch player Marco van Basten who won the award thrice in 1988,1989 and 1992.
Liberian striker George Weah won the award for his stellar performances in 1995 while Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko won it in 2004. Brazilian star Kaka was the last Milan player to be bestowed with the same in 2007.
#1 Barcelona- 10
The most decorated club in terms of number of Ballon d’Or awards won is unsurprisingly Catalan giants Barcelona. The reigning European champions have had six different players who have won the award a record 10 times with Argentine superstar Lionel Messi alone winning four of them.
Midfielder Luis Suarez, regarded by many as one of the greatest players to have emerged from Spain, was the first Barca player to be handed the coveted award. He won it for his role in Barcelona’s La Liga winning side of 1960, a year in which they also reached the semi-finals of the European Cup.
Dutch legend Johan Cruyff won it on consecutive occasions in 1973 and 1974 becoming the second player to claim the honour during his glorious spell with the Catalans.
Barcelona had to wait 20 years since after Cruyff for a player to claim the Ballon d’Or when Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov clinched the award in 1994. Four years later in 1998, Brazilian star Rivaldo was named as the winner for his stellar performances for the club.
It was the turn of another flamboyant Brazilian by the name of Ronaldinho to win the award in 2005 as he set the footballing world alight with his tricks, flicks and breathtaking goals.
However, it is the little magician from Argentina, Lionel Messi who outshines all the greats mentioned above as he has won the prestigious award a record four times(2009,2010,2011,2012) in his illustrious career.
Dubbed by many as the greatest player to have played the beautiful game, Messi is the overwhelming favourite to win the Ballon d’Or for a record-extending fifth time in 2015 for his treble-winning exploits with Barcelona.
