Ranking the 5 French Ballon d'Or Winners as Ousmane Dembele Eyes 2025 Award
The Ballon d'Or remains football's most prestigious individual honour, awarded to the player judged to have delivered the best performances over a season.
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Previously based on calendar-year achievements, the award is now given for performances across a full football season.
Source: Getty Images
Since its inception in 1956, many of the game’s biggest stars have lifted the coveted golden ball. Lionel Messi leads the all-time winners with a record seven titles to his name.
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is the latest recipient, claiming the award after an outstanding season, ahead of Sadio Mane and Kevin De Bruyne.
His triumph made him the first French player to win the Ballon d'Or since Zinedine Zidane in 1998, and only the fifth French footballer in history to receive the honour.
YEN.com.gh takes a look at the five French icons who have claimed football’s ultimate individual prize.
5. Raymond Kopa
Raymond Kopa was the first-ever French player to win the award in 1958. The former France international was arguably one of the finest stars of the 1950's. A quick and agile attacking midfielder, he was known for his dribbling, playmaking and prolific galscoring abilities.
Kopa was an integral member of the Real Madrid side which dominated Europe, winning three consecutive European Cups between 1957-1959. He also helped Les Blues to a third-place finish at the 1958 FIFA World Cup, where he scored three goals.
Prior to wining the award in 1958, Kopa was ranked third in 1956 and 1957. He also finished as runner-up in 1959. The Kopa Award (to the best performing player under the age of 21) is named in his honor.
4. Jean-Pierre Papin
One player whose goalscoring exploits are not much talked about is Jean-Pierre Papin. The former Olympique Marseille, AC Milan and Bayern Munich forward was a joy to watch in his days.
Papin was a goalscoring genius who had a knack for scoring incredible volleys. He registered 294 goals in 518 appearances for both club and country.
He won the Ballon d'Or in 1991 while at Marseille. That season, the Frenchman helped his club clinch Ligue 1 and finish as runners-up in the European Cup.
He finished as the top scorer in Ligue 1 (23 goals) and joint-top scorer in the European Cup (six goals). He also won the inaugural IFFHS World's Best International Goal Scorer award that year.
3. Karim Benzema
There was no doubt on who was going to clinch the 2022 Ballon d'Or. After a terrific 2021-22 campaign, France and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema was the clear favorite to win the award.
The former Olympique Lyon man guided Los Blancos to La Liga and Champions League glory. His individual brilliance in the knockout stages against Paris Saint Germain (PSG), Chelsea, and Manchester City were some of the highlights of the season for the Frenchman.
He netted a whopping 44 goals and provided 15 assists in 46 games across competitions last term.
Benzema is the second player since 2008 (the other being Luka Modric) to break the Lionel Messi - Cristiano Ronaldo Ballon d'Or supremacy. He also became the oldest winner of the award in 66 years (aged 34 years and 10 months).
2. Michel Platini
Former UEFA President Michel Platini is one of the greatest footballers and most decorated French footballers of all time. He is the only France international with multiple Ballon d'Or wins.
Platini clinched the award in three consecutive editions (1983, 1984, and 1985) and this puts him top of the elite class. Most of his success came at Juventus, where he spent five years, winning two league titles, the European Cup, amongst other club honours.
1. Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane is arguably one of the best French players of all time. A complete playmaker known for his vision, ball control, passing and elegance.
The former Real Madrid gaffer is the only French footballer to have won all three of football's most coveted honours, namely the Ballon d'Or, UEFA Champions League, and FIFA World Cup.
He won the Ballon d'Or in 1998. That year, Zidane led Juventus to clinch the Serie A title and finish as runners-up in the Champions League. He also single-handedly won the World Cup for his country on home soil, scoring a brace in the final against Brazil.
Source: AFP
