Best playing XI made of winners of maximum Ballon d’Or

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi again made it to the headlines after winning his 7th Ballon d’Or award. However, there have been more players who have won this prestigious award multiple times. So let us see the best playing XI with most Ballon d’Or awards.

Lev Yashin (1963)

Soviet Union’s (Russia) legend Lev Ivanovich Yashin is the only goalkeeper who won this prestigious award in 1963. He was known as ‘the Black Spider’. His movement speed, reflex, and his punch to clear high balls were one of the best during his time.

Franz Beckenbauer (1972 and 1976)

The German Defender is a two-time winner of the prestigious European Footballer of the Year (Ballon d’Or) award, in 1972 and 1976. He is the only defender in history to win this award twice.

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Matthias Sammer (1996)

Sammer was naturally a defensive midfielder but he also adopted the role of a center-back. He used to play for Borussia Dortmund as a center-back. Dortmund won back-to-back league titles in 1995 and 1996 and Sammer was one of the main reasons for Dortmund’s success. In 1996, he won the Ballon d’Or by a margin of one point over Ronaldo Nazario.

Fabio Cannavaro (2006)

The only Italian defender to ever win this prestigious award. He started his career at Napoli and he later moved to Parma, Inter Milan, and then Juventus. Between his spells at Juve, Cannavaro had a successful couple of seasons with Real Madrid. An amazing defender he was strong on the backline of the defence restricting his opponents to go past him. Cannavaro won the 2006 FIFA World Cup with Italy and it was one of the reasons for the Italian being crowned the Ballon d’Or winner.

Lothar Matthäus (1990)

The German midfielder was a very versatile and combustible, and yet elegant, box-to-box midfielder who led West Germany to their first World Cup title in sixteen years with his leadership upfront. Combined with his strong performances for Inter Milan, for whom he scored 13 goals from midfield in 1989/1990, Matthäus was a worthy winner of the Ballon d’Or.

Michel Platini (1983, 1984, 1985)

The iconic French Midfielder was known for his deadly attacking prowess and leading the team from the middle of the pitch. Platini won a lot of trophies and gathered a lot of success during his time in Juventus. He was also the captain of the French National Team where he led his team to their European Championship victory on home soil in 1984. Platini’s colossal performances have made him win back to back 3 Ballon d’Or in 1983, 84, 85.

Zinedine Zidane (1998)

Another French Midfield maestro, Zidane started his career with Cannes and followed by Bordeaux. However, his career flourished when he was signed up by Juventus in 1996. His performances with the club led him to win back-to-back Serie A titles alongside Coppa Italia and UEFA Super Cup. His most famous win is the 1998 World Cup with France, which led him to win the Ballon d’Or in 1998.

Lionel Messi (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021)

Lionel Messi is the only player in history to win this award for a record 7th time. Messi’s career in Barcelona had been one of the most amazing Footballing careers. He broke many records, and he made numerous records as well. From Winning trophies for clubs to winning individual accolades, Messi has them all. He played 520 matches for Barcelona and scored 474 goals for the club. However, in the 2021 season, Messi joined the French club Paris Saint-Germain.

Cristiano Ronaldo (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)

With five Ballon d’Or triumphs to his name, Ronaldo has been compared directly to Messi throughout his career. His first success came at Manchester United in 2008 when he got his first Ballon d’Or. Cristiano Ronaldo has also achieved a lot of success during his time in Manchester United, Real Madrid, and even Juventus as well. He won the Ballon d’Or title 5 times, only Messi has more awards than him. Ronaldo has won Ballon d’Or in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, and 2017.

Marco Van Basten (1988, 1989 1992)

Van Basten started his career with Ajax and made a move to AC Milan in 1987. In his first season, he scored 19 goals in Serie A and also won the European Cup. His amazing performances and contributions have made him win back-to-back Ballon D’ors in 1988 and 1989. In 1992 he found his form and provided a world-class performance and claimed the Ballon D’or once again in the same year.

Johan Cryuff (1971, 1973, 1974)

Cruyff is another dutch player with three Ballon D’ors on his side with two clubs. Regarded as one of the most complete footballers ever. His first Ballon D’or came in the year 1971 with Ajax. His other two awards came with Barcelona. He helped Barcelona win their first La Liga trophy since 1960. He also scored the famous ‘phantom goal’ with his right heel and went on to win the Ballon D’or in 1973. His final award came in 1974 in the next year when he again won the La Liga with Barcelona.