BALLON d'OR AND 1956

At Wembley in May 1956, England beat the "emerging" Brazilian national team 4-2. Four of that Brazilian team would go on to win the World Cup in 1958. There was no Pele or Garrincha! The Times wrote, "Wearing shirts of daffodil and the briefest pale blue shorts, the Brazilians might have belonged to a wood in springtime. Their gyrations told of dance steps in the wild woods with a special relish for flexibility and flourish. This day it faded against the solid oak of England". This accolade for a team that missed two penalties! Man of the Match was Stanley Matthews, who had a hand in every England goal. 

His performance secured him winning the first ever Ballon d'Or, a prize conceived by Gabriel Hanot, a French Sports' Writer. Hanot and his colleague at L'Equipe, Jacques Ferran. They were the prime movers behind getting the European Cup established.

In that year, England played 9 internationals, drew 3 and won the rest, also beating Finland, West Germany, Wales, Yugoslabvia and Denmark. The rest were drawn.

Below; Ballon d'Or winners from its origin.

Year	Player	Nationality	Club
2022	Karim Benzema	France	Real Madrid
2021	Lionel Messi	Argentina	Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
2020	not awarded
2019	Lionel Messi	Argentina	Barcelona
2018	Luka Modric	Croatia	Real Madrid
2017	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Real Madrid
2016	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Real Madrid
2015	Lionel Messi	Argentina	Barcelona
2014	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Real Madrid
2013	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Real Madrid
2012	Lionel Messi	Argentina	Barcelona
2011	Lionel Messi	Argentina	Barcelona
2010	Lionel Messi	Argentina	Barcelona
2009	Lionel Messi	Argentina	Barcelona
2008	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Manchester United
2007	Kaká	Brazil	Milan
2006	Fabio Cannavaro	Italy	Real Madrid
2005	Ronaldinho	Brazil	Barcelona
2004	Andriy Shevchenko	Ukrain	Milan
2003	Pavel Nedvěd	Czechia	Juventus
2002	Ronaldo	Brazil	Real Madrid
2001	Michael Owen	England	Liverpool
2000	Luís Figo	Portugal	Real Madrid

and before.

1999	Rivaldo	Brazil	Barcelona
1998	Zinedine Zidane	France	Juventus
1997	Ronaldo	Brazil	Internazionale
1996	Matthias Sammer	Germany	Borussia Dortmund
1995	George Weah	Liberia	Milan
1994	Hristo Stoichkov	Bulgaria	Barcelona
1993	Roberto Baggio	Italy	Juventus
1992	Marco van Basten	Netherlands	Milan
1991	Jean-Pierre Papin	France	Marseille
1990	Lothar Matthäus	Germany	Internazionale
1989	Marco van Basten	Netherlands	Milan
1988	Marco van Basten	Netherlands	Milan
1987	Ruud Gullit	Netherlands	Milan
1986	Igor Belanov	Soviet Union	Dynamo Kyiv
1985	Michel Platini	France	Juventus
1984	Michel Platini	France	Juventus
1983	Michel Platini	France	Juventus
1982	Paolo Rossi	Italy	Juventus
1981	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	West Germany	Bayern Munich
1980	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	West Germany	Bayern Munich
1979	Kevin Keegan	England	Hamburg
1978	Kevin Keegan	England	Hamburg
1977	Allan Simonsen	Denmark	Borussia M”nchengladbach
1976	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany	Bayern Munich
1975	Oleg Blokhin	Soviet Union	Dynamo Kyiv
1974	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands	Barcelona
1973	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands	Barcelona
1972	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany	Bayern Munich
1971	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands	Ajax
1970	Gerd Müller	West Germany	Bayern Munich
1969	Gianni Rivera	Italy	Milan
1968	George Best	Northern Ireland	Manchester United
1967	Flórián Albert	Hungary	Ferencv rosi TC
1966	Bobby Charlton	England	Manchester United
1965	Eusébio	Portugal	Benfica
1964	Denis Law	Scotland	Manchester United
1963	Lev Yashin	Soviet Union	Dynamo Moscow
1962	Josef Masopust	Czechoslovakia	Dukla Prague
1961	Omar Sívori	Italy	Juventus
1960	Luis Suárez	Spain	Barcelona
1959	Alfredo Di Stéfano	Spain	Real Madrid
1958	Raymond Kopa	France	Real Madrid
1957	Alfredo Di Stéfano	Spain	Real Madrid
1956	Stanley Matthews	England	Blackpool

Since 2018, there has also been a women's Ballon d'Or award (called the Ballon d'Or Féminin).