Football
How Many Ballon d'Or Titles Does Lionel Messi Hold?
Lionel Messi has done it all. He has won the most trophies and individual awards in football history. Only Cristiano Ronaldo can rival Messi for individual awards, but how many Ballon d’Or titles does Lionel Messi have?
Image Credits: Tnani Badreddine/Defodi Images via Getty Images
Lionel Messi has won eight Ballon d'Or titles. No player in football history has won more Golden Ball awards than the diminutive Argentinian playmaker. Cristiano Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Or awards, the second-most by any player. He won his first Ballon d’Or in 2009, and his last title in 2023. The Portuguese won his last Ballon d’Or in 2017.
Since then, Messi has won three Golden Ball awards, his last award coming in 2023. Between 2008 and 2017, no other player won the award. Messi and Ronaldo had an iron grip on the famous Golden Ball trophy. Kaka, in 2007, was the last footballer to win the Ballon d’Or before an unprecedented ten-year run saw the award alternate between the El Clásico rivals.
Lionel Messi after winning his sixth Ballon D'Or award//Getty Images
Luka Modric (2018) and Karim Benzema (2022) are the only players to wrench the Ballon d’Or from the two record-breaking strikers. Together, Messi and Ronaldo have won 13 Ballon d’Or awards. It will take an unbelievable player to reach the heights of these two titans of the game.
SportsBoom has broken down the numbers behind Messi’s eight Ballon d’Or titles and compared the Argentinian’s Golden Ball achievements with other great players. Why was the 2024 Copa América winner left off the ballot box of football’s most illustrious individual award?
Top 10 Ballon d’Or Winners
| Rank | Player | Country | Ballon d’Or Awards | Second Place |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 8 | 5 |
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 5 | 6 |
| 3 | Michel Platini | France | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | Marco van Baston | Netherlands | 3 | 0 |
| 6 | Franz Beckenbauer | Germany | 2 | 2 |
| 7 | Ronaldo | Brazil | 2 | 1 |
| 8 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Spain | 2 | 1 |
| 9 | Kevin Keegan | England | 2 | 1 |
| 10 | Karl-Heinze Rummenigge | Germany | 2 | 1 |
*Stats accurate as of 28/10/2024
How Many Times Has Lionel Messi Been Nominated for the Ballon d’Or?
Lionel Messi has been nominated 16 times for the Ballon d’Or, winning eight times. Messi earned his first Golden Ball nomination in 2006. Cristiano Ronaldo received his first nomination in 2004. Ronaldo has earned 18 nominations for football’s most prestigious individual award, two more than his great rival.
Paolo Maldini, one of the greatest defenders of all time, earned 13 Ballon d’Or nominations. Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, and Karim Benzema were nominated 12 times. Thierry Henry had nine Golden Ball nominations. Zinedine Zidane only earned eight ballot nominations, the same as Wayne Rooney.
Top 10 Ballon d’Or Nominations & Wins
| Rank | Player | Country | Ballon d’Or Nominations | Ballon d’Or Best Finish |
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 18 | 5 Wins |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 16 | 8 Wins |
| 3 | Paolo Maldini | Italy | 13 | 3rd (Twice) |
| =4 | Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | 12 | 3 Wins |
| =4 | Franz Beckenbauer | Germany | 12 | 2 Wins |
| =4 | Karim Benzema | France | 12 | 1 Win |
| =7 | Zlatan Ibrahimović | Sweden | 11 | 4th |
| =7 | Gianluigi Buffon | Italy | 11 | 2nd |
| =10 | Neymar | Brazil | 9 | 3rd (Twice) |
| =10 | Thierry Henry | France | 9 | 2nd |
| =10 | Samuel Eto'o | Cameroon | 9 | 5th |
*Stats accurate as of 28/10/2024
Lionel Messi is known as “La Pulga” (“The Flea”) because he is short. When Messi was eleven, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Barcelona paid for his growth hormone treatment, which helped Messi, and his parents decide on joining the Catalan club over Real Madrid.
Was Lionel Messi Nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or?
No. Lionel Messi was not nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or. France Football did not nominate Messi for the award for the first time since 2005. Moreover, Cristiano Ronaldo was not nominated for the Golden Ball after another goal-filled season. This is the first time since 2003 (21 years) that one of Messi or Ronaldo are not on the Golden Ball nomination ballots, which is preposterous.
Many of the 30 players nominated ahead of the duo had statistically inferior seasons. Lionel Messi led Argentina to the 2024 Copa América championship, the second successive South American Championship. Furthermore, the 37-year-old took Inter Miami from the bottom of the floor of Major League Soccer (MLS) to a Supporters’ Shield title in one season.
The Best Players Not Nominated for the Ballon d’Or
Many nominated players did not win any trophies. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were not the only baffling snubs. Mohamed Salah was inexcusably passed over, while lesser players gained nominations.
The Liverpool playmaker put up the best numbers by a right-winger in the world in the 2023/24 season. This further highlights the flawed 2024 Ballon d’Or nomination process. No Messi, Ronaldo, or Salah: No good.
Lionel Messi | Argentina | Inter Miami | 2024 Copa América, MLS Eastern Conference Champion, 2024 Supporters’ Shield
Lionel Messi scored 20 goals and provided 10 assists in only 19 of 34 league matches. He finished equal second on the scoring charts, three behind Christian Benteke, who won the MLS Golden Boot. Benteke played 30 times, scoring 23 goals. Messi finished the 2023/24 domestic campaign with 22 goals and 12 assists in 22 matches. Benteke netted 25 times, with five assists in 33 games.
Messi celebrating 2024 Copa America//Getty Images
Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | Al Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo’s snub is another curious decision by France Football. The 39-year-old had another stellar goal-scoring season. The Portuguese scored 50 goals, with 13 assists, across 51 matches for club and country. Even though Ronaldo plays in the low-quality Saudi Pro League, to be left off the list of 30 best players in the world is a curious call. The Al Nassr striker did not collect any silverware in 2024, which is the principal reason he did not receive a nomination.
Cristiano Ronaldo playing fot Al Nassr//Getty Images
Mohamed Salah | Egypt | Liverpool | 2023/24 Carabao Cup
Mohamed Salah might not have scaled the heights of the previous season. Moreover, he had a better statistical campaign than other Ballon d'Or nominees, especially players playing his position. Salah finished the 2023/24 season as the highest-scoring right-winger in world football across all competitions. He was the only winger to score 30 goals, for club and country. He outscored and provided more assists than Vinícius Júnior, the favourite for the Ballon d’Or.
Salah only won one trophy, although Liverpool competed admirably in all four competitions before falling away. Bukayo Saka scored fewer goals and assists than Salah, but Saka did not win a trophy. Many players did not compare to Salah but were nominated for the Golden Ball, which only highlights the farce of the 2024 ballot.
Mohamed Salah//Getty Images
Kaylan Geekie is a sports fanatic. He attended Durban High School before moving to Scotland, where he lived for 15 years. During his time in the United Kingdom, Kaylan graduated with a first-class BA Honours Degree in Sports Journalism at the University of the West of Scotland. Kaylan worked for nine years as the Match-Day Editor of SuperXV.com, reporting on Super Rugby, The Rugby Championship, the 2015 Men's Rugby World Cup and the 2017 British & Irish Lions series for the website.