Seven points changed the course of history, handing a new Ballon d'Or to Lionel Messi and denying Virgil van Dijk the chance to etch his name into the golden legacy of the trophy.

Nobody has won the Ballon d'Or more times than Lionel Messi, and the Argentina great responded to one former host's doubts in ideal fashion.

If Lionel Messi is Hercules, Virgil Van Dijk looms as his possible Achilles heel when the two face off in a mouth-watering ...

Lionel Messi leads football history with 8 Ballon d’Or awards, while Cristiano Ronaldo is second, capturing the iconic trophy 5 times in his illustrious career.

Salah and Hakimi are among eight Africans to have finished in the top 10 for the award. It was Salah's best finish for the award and his fifth top 10 finish after he came fifth (2019, 2022), sixth ...

Messi emerged as the overwhelming favourite to claim the accolade after the World Cup final in Qatar 10 months earlier, where Argentina defeated France on penalties. Mbappe netted a remarkable ...

Messi and Ronaldo won five Ballons d’Or each from 2008–17, dominating the award for an entire decade. The Argentine maestro would go on to win a further three in 2019, 2021 and 2023. Interestingly ...