Ballon d’Or history: All the Italians and Serie A stars to lift football’s most prestigious award
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 23: Rodri of Manchester City holds his ballon d'or award prior to the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Etihad Stadium on November 23, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
As the 2026 Ballon d’Or is handed out in London tonight, we look back at the Italians and Serie A stars who have won football’s most prestigious individual award.
Serie A players have won the Ballon d’Or 18 times, with Juventus and Milan claiming eight each and Inter two. However, no player based in Italy has won it since 2007.
The Italian Ballon d’Or winners
Omar Sívori (1961, Juventus) – The Argentine-born forward, who represented Italy, was the first Serie A player to win the award.
Gianni Rivera (1969, Milan) – The ‘Golden Boy’ became Milan’s first winner, after inspiring the Rossoneri to European Cup glory.
Paolo Rossi (1982, Juventus) – He won the award after firing Italy to the World Cup in Spain, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer.
Roberto Baggio (1993, Juventus) – The Divine Ponytail was rewarded for a sensational season in which Juve won the UEFA Cup.
Fabio Cannavaro (2006, Juventus/Real Madrid) – The World Cup-winning captain remains the last Italian, and the last defender, to win the award.
Serie A foreign stars to win the award
Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985, Juventus) – The Frenchman won three in a row, giving Juve four straight winners after Rossi.
Ruud Gullit (1987, Milan) and Marco van Basten (1988, 1989, 1992, Milan) – The Dutch duo at the heart of Arrigo Sacchi’s great Milan side.
Lothar Matthäus (1990, Inter) – He won the award after captaining West Germany to the World Cup.
George Weah (1995, Milan) – The Liberian became the first African winner.
Ronaldo (1997, Inter) – Il Fenomeno won it aged just 21, in his first season in Italy.
Zinedine Zidane (1998, Juventus) – Zidane was crowned after leading France to their first World Cup.
Pavel Nedvěd (2003, Juventus) – The Czech midfielder was rewarded for driving Juve to the Champions League final.
Andriy Shevchenko (2004, Milan) – The Ukrainian won it after finishing as Serie A’s top scorer as Milan won the Scudetto.
Kaká (2007, Milan) – The Brazilian was the last Serie A player to win the award, after inspiring Milan to the Champions League.
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